


Of Monsters and Meddling Kids

by i_am_a_cliche



Series: Of Monsters and Meddling Kids [1]
Category: Scooby Doo - All Media Types, Scooby Doo - Fandom
Genre: And angst, Daphne Blake - Freeform, F/M, Fraphne, Fred Jones - Freeform, and a serious plot, and cuddling, and fluff, and kissing, and pining, there's zombies, yes real zombies
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-29
Updated: 2020-09-10
Packaged: 2021-03-06 02:42:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 23
Words: 58,185
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25595968
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/i_am_a_cliche/pseuds/i_am_a_cliche
Summary: A story told from Daphne's POV. Mystery Inc. faces their newest challenge when Coolsville's citizens suddenly begin to turn into zombies. At the same time, Daphne struggles with a personal dilemma; will she ever have the chance to tell Fred how she feels about him? Fraphne. Rated T for language and mild violence. First published on FF.net. Please rate and review!
Relationships: Daphne Blake/Fred Jones
Series: Of Monsters and Meddling Kids [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1855189
Comments: 4
Kudos: 9





	1. Prologue: Sherry's Dairy and Diner

**Author's Note:**

> Hi everyone! I hope you are all doing well and that you are healthy and safe during these scary times. So despite the fact that I've been on here for some time, I haven't fully migrated all of my works from FF.net to A03. I've noticed that there tend to be more consistent writers on this site, so I'm hoping to transfer each of my stories from FF.net to A03 to reach a broader audience. Since this work has been published previously on FF.net, I will be posting a new chapter update every day (or almost every day), until it is completed. There is a sequel that follows-up with this story, so I will be including that as part of the series. 
> 
> If this story is new to you, then I hope you enjoy this fic! I have been writing Scooby Doo fanfiction for over a year now, but this was my first fic, and even though it's a bit corny in a few spots, I'm still fairly proud of it. I hope you enjoy it, too!

Prologue: Sherry’s Dairy and Diner

_It was closing time at Sherry’s Dairy and Diner in Coolsville; the last of the customers were slowly filing out the door. Parents scolded their children as they examined the fresh coat of sticky ice cream melted onto their children’s hands. Sherry’s was known for two things in Coolsville – the ice cream, and the friendly customer service. Both would be vital assets for a restaurant in any other regular town, but these were even more essential in Coolsville. Notwithstanding the borderline laughable restaurant name, the walls of Sherry’s Diner regularly fostered the Coolsville population on any given evening, whether it was for dinner or just a fun night out consisting of shakes and ice cream. After all, the citizens of Coolsville needed some refuge, some neutral place, during the times when Coolsville was under siege by the latest mystery, or sometimes even monsters. Somehow, it was as if even the monsters and the villains knew that the only sacred (and therefore untouchable) part of Coolsville was Sherry’s, as the diner was spared from any possible destruction or general interest during a mystery._

_Josh, the high school cashier who worked at Sherry’s, began mopping the blue tiled floor after the last parent left with a sticky fingered child in tow. The bell chimed as the door slammed behind the family, and Josh slowly let out his breath. It wasn’t that he didn’t like working at Sherry’s; as a matter of fact, he enjoyed it immensely. Sherry worked around his school schedule, and the extra money helped him work towards his goal of owning his first car. But tonight he had a pre-calc test on his mind, and he was really beginning to lament not hiring Velma Dinkley, his classmate at Cooslville High School, as his tutor._

_“Maybe I’ll ask her about it tomorrow, after the exam is over…” Josh thought wistfully, as he dipped his mop head into the bucket. “If I bomb tomorrow, I can always retake the te-“_

_Josh paused his internal debate; he suddenly felt anxious, as though someone was watching him. He slowly, ever so slowly, placed the mop into the bucket and surveyed his surroundings. As his eyes swept the diner, he mentally took inventory of the empty cherry colored booths and the sticky, tan colored tabletops that still begged to be cleaned. But he saw no sign of another person in Sherry’s._

_Josh sighed and shook his head. Anyone in Coolsville would tell you that living in the town sometimes took a mental and emotional toll on the population; you were never sure when the next mystery would strike, and if it could even take place in your own backyard. In fact, this made Josh begin reminiscing about the time his neighbor had one day discovered that her hallway was long and never ending, and sometimes it even morphed into different shapes by expanding into multiple levels or shrinking into a mere six feet. She called upon Mystery Inc., these kids who went to Josh’s school, and –_

_“ROAR, GOTCHA!” screamed a deep, male voice coming from behind Josh. Josh screamed in terror and jumped away from the voice, knocking over the mop bucket in the process, and spilling the dirty water all over the tiled floor._

_“Oh my God dude, relax! It’s me!” laughed the voice. Layne, Sherry’s chef, emerged from behind the checkout counter. His face was split by a mischievous, but playful, grin. “I saw you mopping from where I was standing in the kitchen. I could tell you were feelin’ all jumpy and shit, so I thought it would be hilarious if I scared you.”_

_Josh groaned and rolled his eyes. “Yea Layne, real hilarious. Now look what you’ve done! I spilled the water from the mop bucket everywhere!”_

_“That is your own fault, my man, by actin’ all jumpy and shit. But hey, I’ll help you clean it up anyway.” Layne emerged from behind the counter with multiple cotton dishtowels and dropped them onto the ground, where the water was expanding into a wider and wider puddle by the minute. “What’s got you all scared, Joshy? Nothin’ ever happens here in Sherry’s! This place is totally boring.”_

_Josh shrugged and shook his head. “I have no idea, Layne. Truth be told, I guess I can just be paranoid sometimes. You haven’t lived in Coolsville long enough to realize that this place can put you on high alert sometimes.”_

_Layne nodded, as though he understood. While it was true that he was relatively new to Coolsville, he had lived here long enough (and observed the evening news frequently enough) to know that, in Layne’s own words, “crazy shit happened all the time in Coolsville.” “Well, sorry to freak ya out man, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity when I saw you tensin’ up. If I had known you were gonna spill the mop bucket water and put us behind, I would have never done it!”_

_Josh couldn’t help but laugh at his own blunder. “That’s what you get for scaring me, you moron. Now let’s hurry up and finish closing this place up. I have a calc test to study for tonight, and a long walk home from the diner.”_

_Layne chuckled and shook his head, his dreadlocks bobbing around his tan face. “Joshy, ya know I’m not gonna let ya walk home alone in the dark. Let me give ya a lift in my Jeep tonight. You can just pay me back with a lift home in your own sweet new ride when you have the funds. I’m gonna go finish mopping in the kitchen. Oh, and in the meantime, I need to dip into that new ice cream flavor Sherry order this morning. She puts it on sale tomorrow morning, and as the chef, I need to be the first to try it!” And with that, Layne quickly walked into the kitchen, whistling as though he hadn’t just scared his co-worker in a nonsensical manner._

_Josh laughed and shook his head as he kneeled onto the ground and began vigorously drying the puddles of water with the towels Layne had given him. Layne was a great guy deep down, even though he was a bit rough around the edges sometimes. He never allowed Josh to walk home after a shift by himself, and Layne knew how to make everyone laugh during a hectic evening in the diner. “But he better watch himself next time he tries to scare me,” Josh thought wistfully, as his hand worked in circular wiping motions to dry the floor. “Next time he tries that, he might not be so lucky. Why, I might just –“_

_His thoughts were interrupted by a loud crash in the kitchen, where Layne had just disappeared behind the double doors moments ago. Josh looked up from his work and paused. “Layne, stop screwing around in there!” he yelled. “If you can’t find the new ice cream flavor, it can wait until tomorrow. I really just want to get going and –“_

_Another loud crash pierced Josh’s sentence mid-thought._

_Josh felt himself tense up, as he had earlier. He took a deep breath and shrugged it off. “Layne, can you hear me? Is everything okay in there?”_

_There was no response. Josh began to stand, a damp cotton kitchen towel clutched tightly in his hand._

_“Layne!” Josh tried again. “I swear to God, you better not be pulling another stupid joke on me! One time was enough, and I am seriously not in the mood for any additional –“_

_A third loud crash caused Josh to jump. Out of instinct, he squeezed the cotton towel in his hands tight, feeling the water trickle down and around his knuckles._

_“Why am I so nervous?” Josh pondered to himself. “It’s just Layne up to his usual antics again, and besides, Sherry’s is so safe. Nothing eventful ever happens here.”_

_Josh hesitantly took a few steps towards the double doors that lead to the kitchen. “Layne, are you all right in there? Answer me!”_

_Three seconds after Josh called out, the double doors swung open – and Josh immediately gasped._

_“Layne?! What’s wrong with you?” Josh asked breathlessly. Standing before him was Layne, only it didn’t look like the Layne whose face was split by a playful smile only moments ago. The Layne standing before Josh looked pale, and his skin had a waxy texture. In fact, everything about the once colorful and upbeat Layne now looked pale. His smile seemed to drag his face into a deep, disturbing frown, and he was loping towards Josh slowly, almost as if his gait contained a limp._

_“Layne! Layne, what’s wrong?!” Josh’s voice began to rise as it matched his internal panic. As Layne drew closer to him, Josh noted that not everything about Layne was pale. Layne’s eyes, which were once a chocolate brown and shining with laughter, were now ablaze with what could only be described as a penetrating blue light. Josh gasped._

_“What’s the matter, Josh? Are you scared of me?” Layne intoned, his voice somehow deeper than usual, and much more menacing. Josh gulped. Layne’s usual nickname for Josh was gone, and in its place was this unusual and horrifying new Layne. Josh’s brain struggled to process the Layne who stood before him._

_“Layne, c-c-cut it out and lets get going!” Josh pleaded. He began to take a few steps back in an attempt to put some distance in between him and Layne, but in his haste to move away, he slipped on one of the cotton towels and fell into the puddle of water he was cleaning moments ago._

_“Don’t be scared, Josh…I have an offer for you…join us…I feel revitalized and ready to fulfill the final mission!” Layne bit off each word slowly but purposefully, eyeing Josh menacingly as he loped closer and closer to Josh._

_Josh’s head was spinning. What was Layne talking about – joining who, what? What final mission? He had only begun to wonder these questions when he noticed Layne’s clumsy gait look smoother as Layne approached Josh swiftly. Josh screamed, somehow knowing that this time was no joke, and curled into a ball on the floor. Layne descended upon Josh and grasped him by the collar. Josh was shaking, and mentally noted that his pants felt wet: he had pissed his jeans out of pure and utter terror. Despite the scene unfurling before him, Josh fleetingly wondered if Layne was going to drop Josh on the ground and burst out in laughter._

_Unfortunately for Josh, unlike earlier, Layne did not concede to the fact that he was joking. Layne drew his face closer and closer to Josh’s sweaty, petrified face, leaned in close, and whispered:_

“No need to be scared, Josh – this is only the beginning.”


	2. Chapter 2: Velma's Hypothesis

**Chapter 2: Velma’s Hypothesis**

When the last bell for the school day rang, thus commencing the end of my English lit class for the day, I jumped out of my seat so fast, you would have thought it had spontaneously combusted. Okay, maybe that was just a bit dramatic, but you would have understood why if you knew one thing – I, Daphne Blake, am currently enduring a mental and emotional breakdown.

Okay, now between the opening sequence and that admission, I realize that I sound really melodramatic, but my close friend Velma Dinkley would tell you this is common for me. However, my reasons for being melodramatic were justified for today (not that they aren’t in the past, mind you). Today, at the encouragement of my friends and the behest of my nagging thoughts, I was going to confront Fred Jones and confess my feelings for him – somehow.

The bell was still screaming in a shrill voice as I began to tear down the hallway of Coolsville High. All around me, students were pouring out of classrooms and eagerly shoving their way through the growing throng of people in an attempt to race out of the building. Although I wished to join the crowd, I forced my way through the stream of eager high schoolers as I pressed on towards my locker. Velma was meeting me there for one last pep talk, which was good, because my resolve was already slipping away.

I finally made it through the stream of shoulders and backpacks, and I leaned against the cinnamon colored lockers that surrounded mine. Velma was already there, and she was twirling the dial on my locker combination until the lock clicked, and the door swung open. Despite the fact that it was my locker, Velma shared it with me. We found this was an easy way to meet up and talk in between classes, which was more difficult if Velma went to her locker at the other end of the school throughout the school day. Even though Shaggy Rogers, and of course Fred, who were also my close friends, Velma was my closest female friend, so having her near me at all times during the school day was an absolute necessity.

Moments such as this were one of those “absolute necessities.” I felt like a total cliché: my stomach was twisted into knots, and the palms of my hands were sweaty, even though I repeatedly wiped them down the front of my skirt. Even though I was only speaking to Velma for the time being, I coughed in an attempt to steady my voice.

“Hey, Velm. How was pre-calc?” I asked, noting that my voice sounded rough and shaky. Damn, I wasn’t even face-to-face with Fred yet; how was this going to work?

“Oh it was fantastic, thanks for asking!” Velma mused. She didn’t seem to pick up on my anxiety one bit, so maybe I wasn’t as nervous as it seemed. “However, I am a bit puzzled because Josh Hayes wasn’t in class for the test. This caused some concern for me because he approached me about tutoring last week and I-“

I know this is a terrible friend admission, but I tuned Velma out as she rambled on; hey, I don’t know this kid she’s speaking about, and I also knew it could be any minute before she somehow segued into mathematical theories and physics. All of this was the last thing I could process right now with my current state of mind.

As I mentioned, Velma and I are close; on instinct, she picked up on my inner-turmoil, as if she could read my thoughts. “Okay Daph, go get it over with and talk to Freddy. I know it will be challenging, but you and I both know this perpetual wondering is unhealthy at best. And besides, it’s obvious to everyone that he clearly reciprocates the feeling.”

I sighed in an attempt to steady my nerves. I knew deep down that Velma was right about how I couldn’t hold this off any longer. What I was less certain about was whether or not Fred returned my romantic interest. Velma was basing her guess off how Fred and I interacted when we solved mysteries as a group. She argued that the signs were all there: Fred often isolates the two of us when it was time to split up, and he reaches for my hand to squeeze it protectively when we are confronted with danger. Until recently, I attributed all of that behavior to the fact that Fred is our leader and good friend, and he doesn’t want danger to befall any of us, so of course he is going to extend protection in gestures that may be interpreted as something more. Velma rebuttled that by stating that he seems to extend his protection to me the most if this is the case, but I still couldn’t take that chance. Alongside Velma and Shaggy, Fred was my absolute best friend. If Velma and I miscalculated (something Velma would say she never does, but regardless), that would have horrible, negative consequences for our friendship. Even though I’m only sixteen, I already know that my life would be hollow and empty without Fred. And besides, what would that mean for Mystery Inc., and our crime solving livelihood?

But this urgency in speaking to Fred was reignited with our previous mystery. Velma claims (and rather confidently, which is how she always acts when she is killing it with a hypothesis in her science class) without a shadow of a doubt that I have nothing to worry about now. I guess her theory regarding Fred harboring feelings for me was cemented when something happened during our last mystery. In a quick moment, I had been separated from the gang when I accidently fell into a trap door. The details of the mystery and the not-so-glamourous way I tumbled down a trap door are too long to explain, but later, after the mystery was solved and the mask removed from the creepy old janitor (yes, our school janitor, but don’t worry, we’ve hired a new one), she later informed me that Fred didn’t seem right when I was missing. When I pressed her about what she meant, she explained that Fred was obviously stressed after I fell through the trap door. He collapsed beside the door and placed his hands on his face, so Velma dropped beside him to ask if he was okay. In a moment of vulnerability that Fred rarely displays, he confessed, “I know she’s been separated from us before, and that she will likely be okay when we find her…but it’s just that, I can’t help but notice that whenever she’s in danger or not near me, I feel panicky. I don’t know what I would do if something happened to her…” and she said his voice trailed off and his eyes were glazed over, until he noticed that he had just “confessed his love” (Velma’s words, not mine) for me. Then he stood up and snapped orders to the gang, restoring logic and fending off emotion. Velma said it was almost as if the moment – and ultimately, the confession – hadn’t happened, only it did, and she was privy to see it.

I can’t lie, hearing the story boosted my confidence a little. And I know that deep down Velma is right about how I won’t ever know until I speak to Fred. But what if Velma and I were wrong? What if I just made things weird and awkward between Fred and me?

Velma, again sensing my inner dialogue, placed a comforting hand on my shoulder. “Really Daph, I know that Freddy cares about you romantically, too. And besides,” she said, her face breaking into a grin, “When I have a hypothesis, it’s never wrong.”

Despite the nerves, I couldn’t help but laugh at self-assured Velma. I took a deep breath and sighed, “Okay Velm, you’re right – now or never, I suppose.”

Velma’s smile cracked even wider, exposing her straight, white teeth. “You can do it, Daph! I, for one, will be relieved when this is over and you two start dating. Then you can stop obsessing over whether or not he is reciprocating feelings for you because you will finally have your answer!”

I lightly smacked Velma on the shoulder and laughed. “Okay Velma, I get it! Thanks. I guess I’m going to head over there now!” I started to turn away from my best friend and head towards Fred’s locker, but I had only taken two steps before someone collided into me, pushing me onto the ground.

“Hey, watch where you’re walking!”

I glanced up from the ground to see who was addressing me, and instantly regretted it. Standing above me was Shaina, a senior who was new to this school only this year, but had somehow amassed instant popularity. Okay, I guess it isn’t a huge surprise – the girl is gorgeous, outgoing, and she oozes confidence. She has long blonde hair that falls in curls past her shoulders, naturally pink, rosy cheeks, and a laugh that commands the attention of everyone in a room. Whenever she laughs, her smile reveals a row of straight white teeth, and her blue eyes sparkle as if she has a secret that she isn’t going to tell you. Oh, and she is a cheerleader, which every American teenager knows gives you instant popularity. 

But what was unusual about Shaina was that she was also a major genius, rivaled only by Velma. I hate to stereotype, but usually the jocks and the brains are split into two separate social cliques. Shaina defied the usual labels doled out within school politics by simultaneously transcending and dwelling within both social groups – all within only three months of being at this school. It was unprecedented, unheard of, and frankly, disturbing, on account of the fact that she climbed the social ladder so quickly – and thus grew a giant attitude in the process of it all.

“What’s your problem, you ginger? Are you going to lay there and gape up at me with your mouth hanging open stupidly like a fish forever?” Shaina taunted, her arms crossing her chest. I felt my cheeks enflamed with embarrassment.

Velma cleared her throat from behind Shaina and spoke with an edge in her voice that wasn’t characteristic of Velma. “Shaina, will you _please_ leave my friend alone and be on your way? She did nothing to bother you.”

Shaina whirled on her heel to face Velma and laughed. “Oh, if it isn’t Dinkley. Don’t worry Dinkley, I have insults shored up in my mind for you, too. But I plan to save that for when I kick your ass at the science fair next week – I hope you are ready!” Shaina turned her attention back to me and grinned. “Whatever, I’m wasting my time with you two. I have _much better_ things to be doing right now, so see you later.” She smirked at me as I began to lift myself off from the ground, and she walked away, her step looking upbeat and jovial, almost as if she were ready to skip down the hallway.

“What is up her ass?” I sneered through my teeth. The few months Shaina has been here have been utter Hell. Normally our classmates paid little to no heed to our group, but for some reason, Shaina seemed to thoroughly enjoy taunting Velma and me at every chance she could find.

“No idea, but her predictions regarding next week’s science fair are utterly false: I am going to kick her ass.” Velma said in a serious tone. Velma rarely, if ever, swears, so I broke out into laughter, causing her to grin.

“Hey, I am glad I could make you laugh – now go and talk to Fred before he leaves his locker!” she said.

I abruptly stopped laughing and instantly felt my nerves return. “Hey Velma, do you think you could walk with me to Fred’s locker? I know this sounds crazy, but I think if I go by myself, I’ll turn around and forget about this whole thing. I’m so nervous!”

Velma smiled. “I will walk there with you, but you have to be the one to speak to him. Now come on, before it’s too late!”

And so we went on our way, walking side-by-side, and I tried to ignore the way my heart began knocking behind my rib cage; it was pacing so quickly that I was sure everyone in all of Coolsville could hear it. Velma must have once again sensed my inner turmoil, because she began talking.

“Look, Daph, you have no reason to worry; this is a hypothesis I have undertaken as studiously and seriously as my scientific research, and I do not intend to steer you wrong. If I wasn’t so sure, we wouldn’t be walking to Fred’s locker right now. Oh gosh, I hope he is still there, because I can’t handle the suspense. You will talk to him and see that you worried for nothing; let me walk a few steps ahead of you to see if he is still there, and you can take a second to calm your nerves. Okay, I see him, and –“

Velma’s stream of consciousness dropped midsentence, but I didn’t understand why. I couldn’t see anything past the back of Velma’s brunette pixie cut: she had slipped a few steps ahead of me in the process of our walk. I strained to see around her shoulder, but she thrusted her arm in front of me in a protective manner, as if she were preventing me from seeing something up ahead.

And then, I heard her swear for only the second time in my life, but in a quick succession, like a gun shooting off dozens of rounds at once – “Shit. Shit shit shit shit, _shit.”_

My stomach dropped; Velma swearing this consistently had my senses on high alert.

“Velma,” I said, my voice sounding agitated. “What is going on? You have to let me see!”

I stepped out from behind Velma, and my heart felt as though it literally slipped into my chest.

Up ahead, Fred was leaning against his cinnamon colored locker. He clutched a bottle of water in one hand – the same hand that he was pressing into a girl’s back. His other hand was tangled in the girl’s long, curly blonde hair, and he was kissing her while his mouth was smiling.

_He made breaking my heart look so damn easy._

Even though the girl was turned towards him and away from us, I stayed rooted in place, determined to see who she was when her eyes opened. I didn’t have to wait: as soon as her eyelids fluttered opened and she smiled, my eyes pricked with tears when I recognized the straight white teeth and the crystal blue eyes, which now seemed to glisten with victory.

 _Shaina._ I clutched at my chest, as if her name had pierced an arrow into my heart. I watched as she ran her hand through his messy blonde hair as she leaned in for another kiss, and I couldn’t handle watching for any longer. I immediately threw my head down, spun on my heels, and stormed off the other way as the tears poured down my cheeks. I didn’t wait up for Velma, but I knew she was right behind me because I could hear her uttering,

“Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit! My hypothesis…it’s, it’s inaccurate! But this has never happened to me before!”


	3. A Mystery on Our Hands

Chapter 3: A Mystery on Our Hands

I stayed home sick for the first two days after it happened; only Velma knew why, but didn’t question it. She stopped by my house both days with chicken noodle soup, as though I were sincerely physically ill, and sat next to me on my bed, wordlessly handing me tissues as the tears streamed down my cheeks in silence. It wasn’t until she was about to go home on the second day that she broke our silence by turning to me and placing her hand on top of mine, saying,

“I am so, so sorry, Daphne. My hypothesis was miscalculated, but I really thought I was correct. In fact, there is a part of me that still can’t help but think that….”

While it was sweet of Velma to say, I didn’t indulge her sentiments any further. She is a sweet friend, but I think she was also equally as crushed because, for once in her life, Velma Dinkley was wrong about something. I know it made her feel even worse to be incorrect at the expense of my broken heart, but I couldn’t risk raising my hopes and restoring my faith in her stubborn loyalty to her hypothesis.

Worse yet, even though I never was able to confess my feelings to Fred and discover whether or not that would have made things awkward between us, our friendship still became stifled. I wanted nothing to do with him now: it just hurt too much. I tried, – really, I did – but when he and Shaina walked past me in the hallway, their hands intertwined and their heads both tossed back in laughter, I could have sworn that Shaina would catch my eye and wink in a way that was definitely not so friendly and inviting. And even if I was imagining Shaina taunting me (which I doubt), my stomach lurched to think that Fred’s hand, which once made me feel electric when it grasped mine during the scary or rewarding moments of a mystery, were now spark inducing for another girl. I couldn’t handle it.

I’m not sure if Fred has thought much of me dodging him for these past two weeks, but in Shaggy’s words, “It’s like, so obvious, man.” Anytime Fred saw me in the hallway, whether he was alone or intertwined with Shaina or even just walking alongside Shaggy, I pretended I was preoccupied with someone nearby, or even stole away to the women’s restroom, which was my most common form of escape as it literally guaranteed he wouldn’t speak to me. The first time I ignored him, I glanced out of the corner of my eye and saw his eyebrows wrinkled with confusion. But often Shaina would appear seemingly out of nowhere and slid up beside him, and he became preoccupied with the way she smiled at him beatifically.

Luckily, we hadn’t been called for a mystery yet, which would have potentially forced us to reconcile, at least temporarily. But on two weeks to the day that I saw him and Shaina, my luck ran out.

It was lunch time. I pushed my way through the cafeteria doors, and was immediately hit by a wave of boisterous laughter and conversation. I weaved my way through the crowd to sit with Velma and Shaggy at our usual table. Normally, Freddy would have joined us, too, but he had a separate lunch period this semester, so I didn’t have to worry about seeing him (or rather, avoiding him) during this time period of every day.

I placed my lunch tray on the table as I took my seat in across from Shaggy and next to Velma. Shaggy hardly seemed to register my appearance: he was too busy scarfing down the contents of his lunch.

Velma offered me a sympathetic smile and asked, “How are you feeling today, Daph?”

I shrugged, turning my attention to the Jello-O on my plate. I poked at it with my fork and watched it jiggle. I didn’t have much of an appetite lately.

Shaggy finally looked up from his plate, which was now empty save for some bread crumbs. “Oh hey Daph, you gonna eat that sandwich on your plate? Cause if not, your old buddy Shaggy might want it…”

I sighed and placed the sandwich on Shaggy’s tray. “It’s all your’s. Oh, and hello to you, too, Shaggy.”

Shaggy’s face fell a little after I said this. He might be focused on the finer things in life (such as food, his next major meal, snacks, and evading monsters and ghosts), but he has a huge heart. I instantly felt a pang of guilt for making him feel self-conscious about his decision to ask for my sandwich.

“Like, sorry Daph, I shouldn’t have been so rude. I know you haven’t been so great since everything with Fredster, and –“

“You know what, Shaggy? It is totally, totally fine. Forget I even snapped at you.” I said in what I hoped was a convincing tone.

He sighed as he took two bites of my sandwich. I kid you not, the whole thing was gone in two bites. “Daph, can I ask, how long do you plan on avoiding him, anyway? I think he is starting to catch on, ya know. The other day he was asking me if everything is okay with you, and I had to lie and say that you were just under a lot of stress with school, and you know I don’t really enjoy lying. I think you two need to speak and clear the air, so to speak.”

“Clear the air? Clear the air?! That is a horrible idea!” I said, shaking my head vehemently. “Why don’t I just tell him that I’m upset because I had – have – feelings for him, which would go over so well for me while he is dating Shaina. Sorry to put you in an uncomfortable position, Shaggy, but I just can’t speak to Fred right now.”

Velma brought her drink to her lips and took a sip out of her straw. Then, she said, almost cautiously, “Daph, I don’t think you will have much of a choice soon. We’ve been fairly quiet with mysteries lately, but something is definitely going on right now. I think something is mysterious is afoot in Coolsville, and if that is the case, you and Freddy will be forced to speak if we are to continue to work together as a team.”

Shaggy and I both groaned, but for different reasons. He dreaded the implication of monsters; I dreaded having to speak to Fred.

“Oh, great! Like, can’t we just stick to investigating a restaurant for once, Velma? Like, what’s the mystery, anyway?” Shaggy whined.

“Well Shaggy, you might just be in luck with the restaurant aspect. Do you guys remember Josh Hayes?” Velma asked us. I frowned.

“Isn’t he the kid in your pre-calc class? The one who asked if you could tutor him about a month ago?”

“Yes, that’s him!” Velma replied. “Anyway, he has been gone for about two weeks now, but he returned to school today, and he did not appear to be his usual self. I observed him during class: he was jumpy and nervous over the slightest noise, and acted very withdrawn. I cornered him after class to inquire about his whereabouts over the past couple weeks, especially since he missed that test a few weeks ago, and he said he didn’t want to talk about it. His face was pale and ashen as we spoke, and then he finally admitted that he thinks he has a mystery for us. When I pressed him, he relented and told me something horrible happened to him at work a couple weeks ago. He works at Sherry’s Dairy and Diner, and said that the restaurant is closed for investigative purposes –“

“Ohhh man, like, I love Sherry’s Dairy! It’s closed?! The world must hate me,” Shaggy interjected.

“And he told me that if I wanted an idea of what he witnessed a few weeks ago, I should watch the local news from last evening.” Velma continued, as if Shaggy had never interrupted. “Somehow, between everything for the science fair and another pre-calc test, I must have missed it, and surprisingly, no one has yet to phone our mystery hotline and request our help. But I watched video footage from last night’s news broadcast, and they reported that a growing number of people in Coolsville have recently become…transformed.”

“Oh God, like, transformed how?” Shaggy moaned. “That, like, does NOT sound like something I want to mess with at all!”

Usually I was much more adventurous and willing to look into a new mystery, but I had to side with Shaggy on this one, however vague Velma’s description of the new case was thus far.

“What do you mean by ‘transformed,’ Velma?” I asked.

Velma smiled, as if she were just waiting for one of us to press her further. “The news anchor happened to show camera footage of the night Josh was closing at Sherry’s. Apparently, his coworker was fine one minute, but then acted unusual the next. When the news reporter interviewed Josh, he said his coworker was pale and waxy, and acted malicious. He said his coworker reminded him almost of a vampire…or a zombie.”

“Like, ZOINKS! Vampires and zombies both are not on my list of things to see today, nor any day!” Shaggy yelped. “And when I get home, I know that my buddy old pal Scooby Doo will agree with me.”

“But Shaggy, we have no choice! The news caster reported that the number of people behaving this way is growing, and worse yet, they disappear over time, sometimes taking innocent citizens with them. The list of people missing in Coolsville is rapidly climbing. Don’t you both notice fewer and fewer students here each day??”

I glanced around the cafeteria, surveying the students lounging around in chairs and laughing with friends. I have been fairly self-absorbed with my own emotions these past two weeks, but as I glanced around, I could see that Velma was right. The cafeteria, which was normally crawling with teenagers, wasn’t as overwhelmingly loud nor as crowded as usual.

I turned back to face Velma and Shaggy. “I hate to admit it, but even with all this drama going on with Fred, we need to investigate. We have yet to see a mystery impact Coolsville’s population like this – it could be serious.”

Shaggy groaned. “Like, can’t we just let the town sort itself out on its own? I mean, I don’t even know if I like half the people missing anyway…”

Shaggy yelped as Velma pinched him. “Don’t talk that way, Shaggy! It is our duty to help and protect Coolsville; how unethical would it be if we just turned our backs on the city when it needs us most?”

Shaggy closed his eyes and moaned for what felt like the hundredth time today. “Like, I guess you have a point. Have you told Fred all of this? Or do you want me to do it?”

At the sound of Fred’s name, my heart skipped a beat. When I had said we had an obligation to help and that I was willing to put everything with Fred behind me, for some reason I didn’t expect Velma and Shaggy to take me at face value. “Actually, maybe you guys should count me out…I think the four of you can handle it together.”

Velma turned to face me, her face serious. “Daphne, I understand you’re hurting, and believe me, I am sympathetic to your emotions. But if you aren’t there, then Fred will surely begin to suspect something. Do you want to tip him off to the possibility that you’ve been staying away because of him and Shaina being a couple?”

Despite Velma’s logic, I couldn’t help but flinch. She had a point: if Fred found out now that I was staying away because I was hurt and (stupidly) harboring feelings for him still, then my secret would be exposed. I wouldn’t gain Fred’s romantic attention (obviously – he was with Shaina), but rather, lose him as a friend, possibly forever. It would make me look even stupider than I already felt. Plus, I could only imagine the sick satisfaction it would bring to Shaina…

I did my best to sit straight as I locked eyes with Velma. “Okay…you’re right. Count me in, but I’m not too pleased about this.”

Velma beamed. “All right Shaggy, you better round up Scooby Doo after school today. We’ve got a mystery on our hands!”


	4. The Interview

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ugh hi hello hey, I suck at updating my A03 account. Anyway, I'll start word dumping the rest of this fic or else I might forget about it entirely. Enjoy!

“Hey Daph, why are you sitting in the back seat with Shag and Scooby? Usually you’re up front in the passenger seat.”

I jerked my head up in response to Fred’s question. It was later that day, shortly after school had ended. The gang and I were in the Mystery Machine, on our way to pay Sherry a visit. I was wedged in the back seat between Shaggy and Scooby-Doo, who were in the midst of devouring a box of Scooby Snacks. While I wasn’t thrilled to be coated in their leftover dog treat crumbs, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to sit right next to Fred just yet.

“Oh, uh, Velma wanted to sit in the front seat today, Freddy. She needs to charge her phone so we can record Sherry’s interview.” I stammered. I glanced at Velma, silently begging her with my eyes to back me up.

“It’s true, Fred – we have to be prepared.” Velma said. She held up her cell phone in response, which was connected to the phone charger. Fred wrinkled his eyebrows, as if silently asking a question, but he didn’t push it further. We drove the rest of the way to the diner in complete silence, punctuated only by the noises Shaggy and Scooby made as they ate their treats.

The silence wasn’t broken until Fred pulled the van into the parking lot at Sherry’s Dairy and Diner. Thankfully, Velma cut through the tension by diverting our attention to the task at hand.

“All right gang, Sherry will be expecting us, so I hope we are prepared with interview questions.” Velma stated, as she unbuckled her seat belt and climbed out of the Mystery Machine. The rest of the gang followed closely behind her. “I, for one, am intrigued with the events that transpired during Josh’s shift. I think we should begin our interview by questioning Sherry about that first.”

“Like, do ya think Sherry could whip us up some milkshakes and hot fudge sundaes while we’re here? Scoob and I are, like, starvin’!” Shaggy whined as we made our way towards the entrance of the restaurant.

“Rah rah, rilkshakes and rot fudge!” Scooby Doo echoed.

“You guys, why is it that your stomach takes precedence over everything during a mystery?” Velma asked. “Now come on, let’s focus!”

When we reached the entrance of the diner, Fred held the door open for everyone. Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby sauntered in ahead of me. As I brushed past Fred, I kept my head down so we could avoid eye contact: I wasn’t sure whether or not I was ready to literally come face-to-face with everything that was going on in recent weeks.

And besides, every good detective knows that personal business is suspended for the sake of a crime: it was time to act like a professional.

The inside of the diner looked like a hollowed-out shell of what Sherry’s Dairy once was before Josh’s shift. Before the incident, all of Coolsville (including the gang and I on several occasions) flocked to the diner for dinners and handcrafted milkshakes, so the booths were always crammed with people, and the wait staff was constantly racing from table to table. Now, every single cherry colored booth was completely empty, and the lights inside the diner were dimmed, as if the restaurant were simply closed for the evening. However, judging by the forlorn expression on Sherry’s face when we entered the diner, it was immediately apparent that the diner’s doors would remain shuttered for the foreseeable future.

Sherry was seated behind the cash wrap. Since we frequented the diner often, we knew her well; in fact, she often rewarded us with free milkshakes whenever we closed another case in Coolsville. Usually Sherry sported an outgoing, upbeat personality, which was reflected by the playful twinkle in her chocolate brown eyes and the laugh lines that were flanked around her smile. But today, Sherry was slouched against the cash wrap with her elbow leaning on the table, as if the weight of the world was upon her shoulders and it was literally preventing her from sitting up straight. Her auburn colored hair, which was usually tied neatly in a bun, hung sloppily in front of her face, and she didn’t bother to move the strands of hair from her eyes, even as we walked inside. Deep stress lines were etched onto her forehead, and the joyful spark that normally ignited her brown eyes was doused, which further emphasized her sorry state of mind.

Seeing Sherry like this instantly made my heart feel as if it had shattered into thousands of glass pieces, and I made a silent vow to put everything with Fred out of my mind as long as we were on this case. Sherry’s diner was her pride and joy, and she deserved some resolution from this case.

We approached Sherry at the cash wrap as a unit. “Hey there, Sher,” I said cautiously. “We’re here to help.”

Sherry slowly picked up her head and looked us each in the eyes, a slight smile beginning to play on her lips. “Thanks, Daph. It’s so good to see you kids – thanks for coming when I called.”

“No problem, Sherry – mystery solving is our expertise!” Velma said, pasting a smile onto her face. It looked a little forced, but it was evident the fake optimism was for Sherry’s benefit.

“What’s been goin’ on, Sherry? Could you start from the beginning, with Josh’s shift a few weeks ago?” Fred asked.

Sherry inhaled sharply, and let her breath out slowly. “…Yea, that’s a good place to start. You see, a few weeks ago, Josh, whom you all know from school, was closing my diner with Layne, our head chef. A couple hours after closing time, I received a frantic phone call from Josh. He said that something odd was going on with Layne, almost as if he had been…transformed, or hypnotized.”

Scooby yelped loudly. “Rypnotized?!”

Sherry continued on: “To be honest, I didn’t initially believe Josh. You see, he and Layne are work buddies, and they enjoy playing pranks on each other during any given shift. Typically, the jokes don’t extend past the two, and Josh’s claims sounded so ridiculous that I thought they were double teaming for a joke at my expense. But as I stayed on the line with Josh, I could tell he was seriously distraught: he was crying hysterically, and he was incoherent as he spoke to me. After some time, Josh finally told me that Layne was normal throughout the entire shift, but a little after closing time, he – he – he –“ Sherry began stammering, the pupils of her eyes wide with disbelief and stress.

“It’s okay, Sherry, tell us – what happened?” Velma pressed.

“Well, Josh told me that Layne accosted him in a manner that was absolutely terrifying.” Sherry informed us. “I asked if Layne was only joking again, and Josh assured me that it was real. Worst of all, Josh said Layne didn’t even look like himself. He said that Layne was pale and waxy, which you probably saw in the News. But what the News didn’t mention so much were Layne’s eyes. Josh says they were a bright blue color, and they were as penetrating as a light.”

“Zoinks, like, I am hating the sound of all this more and more!” Shaggy bemoaned.

“And that isn’t all,” Sherry added. “Josh said that Layne was speaking to him about joining with him for something, like a final mission or something. It all sounded very cryptic. I had to ask Josh if he was sure of everything that Layne said since I could hardly process everything he was saying. Luckily, we have security cameras installed here, so I was able to watch them and review everything that happened. And unfortunately, Josh was right – Layne’s final words to him were, ‘ _No need to be scared, Josh – this is only the beginning_.’”

I felt a shiver snake down my spine.

“Like, ZOINKS! I don’t think I can like, handle much more of this!” Shaggy cried. Scooby shot underneath one of the empty booths and began cowering and shaking in fear.

“Sherry, do you mind if I have a look at that camera footage? I would like to review everything for myself.” Fred requested.

“Sure thing, Fred.” Sherry replied. “I’ll pull it up for you on the POS since I am able to access it from the cash wrap.” She spun to face the screen monitor and began clacking away at the keyboard.

“So I’ve been wondering – how did Josh get away from Layne after all of this went down?” I asked.

Sherry turned away from the monitor for a moment so she could reply. “He got lucky. He said he somehow managed to gather his wits long enough to shove Layne off of him and bolt from the diner. But the poor thing was so traumatized: I heard from his mother that he stayed home from school for a few weeks. And Layne,” Sherry sighed. “Layne is nowhere to be seen since this occurred. He simply vanished. I’m left without my head chef, and I’m worried for his safety, too.”

“Sherry, I am so sorry to hear of all this,” Velma said. “I know this might be a delicate question for you, but we want to help to the best of our ability, so I have to ask – was this an isolated incident? The News has been reporting that other citizens of Coolsville have reported similar occurrences, and some people are tracing your diner as the root cause to all of this.”

Sherry shifted the screen towards Fred, who began watching the event unfold on the monitor. Her eyebrows furrowed together in response to Velma’s question before she sighed and said, “Yes, unfortunately, it is true: it somehow does seem as though my diner is causing this to spread. You see, I reopened the day after Josh and Layne’s shift, hoping that it was all just a fluke, and even clinging hope to the idea that Josh and Layne were escalating a horrible joke. I maintained my business as though nothing had occurred in an effort not to scare the remainder of my staff and my customers, and for a few days, it worked. But then there were calls coming in that reported family members and loved ones who began behaving in the same manner as Layne did that night, and everyone claimed it occurred immediately after they ate at my diner. I tried arguing that it was just a silly, twisted line of reasoning, a la Post Hoc fallacy, but to be honest, I am becoming more and more convinced.

Sherry’s eyes began to tear up. “And worse yet, this has been hurting the people I love the most – my loyal customers. People are beginning to disappear when they become transformed as Layne did, and I’ve begun to hear that sometimes their loved ones are snatched away, too. The police did a thorough sweep of the diner to search for suspicious things that might have triggered all of this, but they found nothing. So now my business is hurting and profits are rapidly dwindling, and my customers have all gone. I have never felt more helpless than I do now. Usually this diner was untouched in the past: maybe I should have known it was only a matter of time before this place was no longer off limits.”

As Sherry spoke, we watched Josh and Layne’s closing interaction unfurl on the screen. I could understand why Sherry initially decided Josh’s frantic story was a joke: as we were watching, Layne had pulled a (fairly harmless) prank on Josh by scaring him and causing him to knock over the water in the mop bucket as they were closing for the night. So what was to say this wasn’t another prank?

Our eyes were glued to the screen as we continued to watch. Layne was offering Josh dish towels in an effort to help Josh clean up the dirty water that had been knocked over during the intial prank. Josh was complaining about how he had to study for a pre-calc test (my brain hazily recalled that Velma was supposed to tutor Josh on that very same test) when Layne offered him a ride home from their shift, and then said, _“I’m gonna go finish mopping in the kitchen. Oh, and in the meantime, I need to dip into that new ice cream flavor Sherry order this morning. She puts it on sale tomorrow morning, and as the chef, I need to be the first to try it!”_

“After he said this, he withdrew to the kitchen to continue cleaning.” Sherry explained to us. “Then Josh reported that Layne emerged as a transformed man only a few minutes later, so this was their final ‘normal’ conversation.”

“Like, I hope he got to try some of that sweet, sweet new ice cream first,” Shaggy lamented. “That sounds, like, awesome!”

“Rah-rah!” Scooby echoed.

After Shaggy said this, Velma’s face was scrunched up, as if she were untangling a complicated thought in her mind. “Sherry, I know it may seem strange, but do you mind if I investigate the ice cream that Layne sampled? If this was indeed the last action he took before transforming, it makes me wonder if somehow the two events are linked.”

Sherry’s face darkened. “Wow, I hadn’t even considered that – yes, yes of course Velma. I will pack you a sample right now.” And with that, Sherry briskly walked to the kitchen, emerging a few moments later with a scoop of seafoam colored ice cream packed tightly in a plastic cup.

“Like, YUMMY! Don’t mind if I do!” Shaggy cried, his hand extending towards the cup.

Velma smacked Shaggy’s arm away from the ice cream. “For God’s sake, Shaggy, this is not for eating, it’s for testing purposes!”

“But like, isn’t half of testin’ purposes _taste testin’,_ too?” Shaggy asked.

Despite what could have been a comedic situation, I rolled my eyes. Shaggy and Scooby were always focusing only on their stomachs. But hearing Shaggy speak about eating the ice cream gave me an idea: “Sherry, did you end up putting that particular flavor on sale the night after the attack? Layne mentioned that it was a brand new flavor and that was the original intent.”

Sherry nodded. “Come to think of it, I certainly did – and it sold like hot cakes.” Sherry’s eyes darkened, as though a storm cloud were passing over her face. “You guys don’t think – you don’t think that the ice cream would have done this, do you?” she stammered. “But there’s no way! I always buy my ice cream from the same vendor, and they are so reliable: I have been trusting them for years!”

“There is only one way to find out,” Velma said, as she took the plastic cup from Sherry. “I will bring this to our school’s science lab tomorrow and run some tests. It may take a day or two for results, but we will know whether or not this has somehow been altered after I examine it. In the meantime, Sherry, don’t let anyone else try this flavor until we clear up this mystery! In fact, I hate to say it, but it might be best not to sell any ice cream until we reach some clarity.”

Sherry sighed. “It won’t be too hard to follow all of that, Velma. Unfortunately, the cops have commanded that I remain closed until they have some answers, and with the way things have been going anyway, I think I lost what once was my permanent customer base.”

Fred put a reassuring hand on Sherry’s shoulder. “Hey, trust me- once Mystery Inc., is through with this case, you will have your customers back in here in no time! We’ll wrap this up for you ASAP, Sherry – you and the rest of Coolsville deserve this.”

Sherry beamed. “Thank you, kids! I am so happy I called you. Keep me in the loop, and let me know if I can be of any further assistance!”

“Like, if you could assist us by givin’ me and Scoob some of your famous rocky road ice cream, I think we could call it even!” Shaggy said with a smile.


	5. Memories

The gang and I quietly stumbled our way back into the Mystery Machine after leaving Sherry’s diner. The van was swathed in silence as Fred began driving: I think each of us felt the emotional impact of interviewing Sherry. Sherry had always extended nothing but kindness to us and the rest of Coolsville, and it was difficult to process that her diner was collateral damage in this latest mystery.

I was so preoccupied with the details of the mystery that I sat up front next to Fred out of habit. Once I realized what I had done, I jolted as if I had been shocked. I glanced at Fred out of the corner of my eye, but his eyes were glued to the road as he drove, just like earlier when he drove us to the diner.

Velma sighed. “Well gang, this sure is one mess. Truth be told, if this ice cream sample doesn’t yield any answers, I’m afraid that I’m unsure of our options for this mystery aside from somehow studying one of the newly converted citizens, should we ever encounter one.”

“Like, zoinks! Are you out of your mind, Velma?! I think we’ve been lucky enough to avoid them so far, and I would like to keep it that way!” Shaggy stated adamantly.

“Rah rah!” Scooby nodded in agreement, his head bobbing up and down profusely.

Fred nudged the Mystery Machine down a familiar street and stopped: we were in front of Shaggy and Scooby’s house. “Well Velmster, I certainly hope we find some answers then, and soon. Shaggy and Scooby, this is your stop. I’ll see you in school tomorrow, Shag.”

As Shaggy and Scooby slipped out of the van, it dawned on me that Fred was doing what he always did after we were finished with a mystery for the day, and that was dropping everyone off at their homes for the night. My house is on the outskirts of Coolsville, so I’m always last on the drop-off itinerary. Usually, in the past, those moments when it was just the two of us were something I savored and looked forward to during the day. It afforded us the chance to speak, just the two of us, and I always went home and dissected every word, every smile, and every laugh.

I shot a look at Velma nervously as Fred drove; as usual, she picked up on my wordless social cue. “Hey Fred, if you don’t mind, you can drop me off last today. I, uh, didn’t really study for my test today and I was hoping to avoid my mom pumping me with questions about my performance.”

I groaned internally. We all knew that was a boldfaced lie: Velma always studies for tests, even during a heated mystery.

Fred glanced up at her from his seat. “Well, the only thing is you live right down the street from Shag, Velm. It really makes the most sense to drop you off right now.” And he was right – as it was, the van was already sliding up to her driveway. If Velma pushed back now, it would look suspicious.

Velma sighed and convincingly stated, “Well, I guess I can’t avoid mother forever. Bye, Fred and Daphne – have a safe drive home, and I will see you guys in school tomorrow.” And with that, she climbed out of the van, casting me an apologetic look through my window as she walked up to her front door.

We watched as Velma walked into her home before peeling out of the subdivision. The silence between Fred and me was so profound: it was beginning to make my heart thump with guilt and sadness. I realized then that there had never been a silent moment between us in the past.

Finally, Fred broke the silence. “It sucks about Sherry’s. I really liked going there with you and the rest of the gang after we would solved a mystery.”

I sat up straighter in response to Fred’s voice. “Oh yea. Sucks.” _Wow,_ I thought, rolling my eyes inwardly. _Real smooth of you, Daph._

But if Fred noticed my deadpan response, he wasn’t bothered. He had a faraway look in his eyes, as if his mind were somewhere else. Then he turned me to, a smile spreading across his face, and said, “Remember when we all went to Sherry’s after our 10th grade Homecoming dance? And that cherry milkshake spilled all over your brand new dress?”

Despite myself, I burst out into laughter at the memory of the milkshake flying from Shaggy’s hand and onto the front of my purple sequined dress. The gang used to call me “danger prone,” but in truth, Shaggy was just as clumsy and careless. “Oh gosh, how could I forget! I was so upset at Shaggy – he is such a clutz sometimes! And remember how Scooby wanted to lick what was left of the milkshake off the ground – and Shaggy _joined_ Scooby, as if he were a dog, too?”

Fred’s laughter in response was loud, as if it had originated from deep within his gut, and reverberated throughout the entire van. I smiled – making Fred laugh always made me feel good about myself.

“Remember when we all went to Sherry’s after we solved a mystery late one night, and we stayed until Sherry closed the diner, but we hung out in the parking lot until the sun rose? That was the longest I had ever stayed out friends,” Fred recalled.

I felt my heart pang within my chest at the memory. I recalled the evening perfectly; in fact, it had occurred only about six months prior. We had closed a case on the black knight ghost, and even though it was a late night, none of us felt tired enough to go home and wind down for the evening. Shaggy, of course, proposed going to Sherry’s, and we talked and slurped on milkshakes together until Sherry closed the diner at 2 AM. For some reason, we still didn’t want to part for the night, so the gang decided to climb on top of the Mystery Machine, and we talked until the sun climbed overhead, melting the sky into vibrant cranberries and bursts of oranges.

I fleetingly wondered if Fred recalled that memory for the one particular moment shared between the two of us. As the dawn was rising, the five of us had watched, our heads titled toward the sky. After awhile, Velma began to recline on the Mystery Machine’s rooftop in an effort to rest her eyes, feeling a bit exhausted, and Shaggy and Scooby had gone away to find a restroom for Scooby, which most likely consisted of running into the woods nearby. I felt as though someone was watching me when I noticed that Fred had indeed been staring at me for more than a few seconds.

I looked at him with a question in my eyes. “Fred, is everything all right?”

Fred nodded, seeming to be only a little jarred at the fact that I had noticed him observing me. He didn’t say anything for a minute: I began to turn my head back towards the sky. Then, ever so quietly that I later questioned whether or not he had even said it, he uttered, “Yeah, it’s just – you look so beautiful right now.” I quickly looked at him to see whether or not he was serious, my cheeks blossoming into a blush, but he had already titled his head back towards the sky, and the moment had slipped away.

I smiled as I allowed myself to remember happier times with Fred and the gang. “Yea, I think that was one of my favorite nights after we solved a mystery.” It had felt so invigorating to watch an old day close and a new one open with my friends, almost like a fresh start.

Fred smiled sadly. “Daph, can I be honest? I – I really missed hanging out with you these past two weeks. Shaggy told me that you’ve been busy with school, but it almost felt like maybe you were avoiding me for some reason…and it really hurt.”

I could feel my heart sink with Fred’s admission as I realized something. I had been so afraid, so terrified, to speak to him about my feelings because I didn’t want to sacrifice our friendship, but I realized that I didn’t do us any favors by avoiding him lately; in fact, it was possible I had shredded any semblance of a friendship that we shared. “I’m sorry, Freddy. Shaggy is right: I haven’t been avoiding you intentionally. It’s just, school has kept me busy, and uh, I just needed some time to myself to raise my grades. But with this mystery heating up, I know we’ll all be seeing each other much more often!”

It felt as though my chest were warming by a few degrees as I turned to look at Fred and noted his smile. “Yea, sounds great! I’m just glad you weren’t avoiding me because I couldn’t figure out what I would have done to make you upset. Now that that’s cleared up, do you mind if I ask you something?”

My heart began to gallop several beats faster. “Sure, Fred – what’s going on?”

Fred wiped his palms on his legs, as if he were trying to soothe his nerves. _Oh my God,_ I thought, _What is he going to ask me?_

“Uh, what do you think of Shaina? I know I just started seeing her, but I really wanted to see what my friends thought of her since that’s pretty important to me, and –“

I began to tune him out as my mind honed in on the words _my friends –_ because of course that was what he thought of me – as his _friend._

 _Oh God,_ my mouth filled with a peculiar, copper-penny taste, similar to what one feels before vomiting. I could feel the tears already stabbing behind my eyes and I pinched my nose in an effort to block them from falling. It was bad enough that Fred was seeing Shaina and I couldn’t do anything about it, but him asking me for my stamp of approval as his friend? That felt like torture.

I opened my mouth, ready to tell him exactly what I thought of Shaina and her fake angelic demeanor and her snobby attitude, when I stopped myself. _Honestly, what good could come of saying anything negative about Shaina?_ I reasoned. _Either way, he is going to date her, and you will look like a bitter friend, or worse yet, the stereotypical jealous girl. And besides, this mystery has way too much at stake for Sherry and Coolsville to add additional drama._

So instead of telling Fred what I really wanted – which was, _“hey, Shaina is a cruel, vindictive, selfish jerk who doesn’t deserve even half the man that you are, and oh by the way, you should be with me,”_ – I replied, “You know what, Freddy? You don’t have to worry about what I think or the others think, but I think you guys are…just perfect together.”

There were a few seconds of silence, and it stretched between us awkwardly. I felt discomforted; wasn’t this the answer he wanted from me? Why did he need me to feel like he was justified in dating Shaina?

Fortunately for me, we were on my street: I could see my home from five houses away. I stole a glance at Fred out of the corner of my eye; his face was taut. It was difficult to detect what he was thinking, but if I hadn’t known better, I would have thought he was disappointed in my response.

The Mystery Machine glided into my driveway. Fred parked the van and paused.

Finally, Fred smiled – but it seemed forced and artificial. “Okay, Daph. Thanks for letting me know. I-“

To be honest, I was emotionally drained after everything I had endured that day, and I didn’t have any energy left to bolster Fred’s weird mood. “Well Fred, thanks for the ride! I’ll see you in school tomorrow!” I replied in a fake, sing-song manner, my voice sounding foreign to my ears as I stepped out of the van. I grabbed my keys from my purse and hurried through my yard, pushing through the front door.

I didn’t glance back at Fred the entire time: the tears that had been threatening me earlier were starting to slide down my cheeks, despite my best efforts to stop them. I stumbled up the stairs and into my bedroom, collapsing on my bed in an anxious heap. Now that I was finally alone, I allowed myself to cry, relieving myself of all of my frustrations and heartbreak. After about 20 minutes, I felt that I had abated my sadness for at least that present moment. I rose from my bed and walked to my window so that I could close my curtains, just as I always do before I go to bed. It didn’t occur to me that I should have considered closing them before my emotional collapse, but truth be told, in that moment I cared about little; besides, no one was out on the street at this time of evening anyway.

I stood at my window. As I turned to draw my curtain closed, I did a double-take, gasping out of surprise. The Mystery Machine was still parked in my driveway, and I saw the faint outline of Fred sitting inside, staring straight ahead, his eyes focused on absolutely nothing – almost as if he were trapped with only his thoughts and emotions, as I was moments ago.


	6. The Collision

The next morning, I marched into school feigning confidence, prepared to make a heroic effort to act as if everything with Fred wasn’t getting to me. I had no idea why he was parked in my driveway for so long last night, but I told myself it didn’t matter, and the reason why was insignificant: he was with Shaina, and if he weren’t enamored with her, then he wouldn’t choose to be dating her right now. I was ready to play the role of Fred’s aloof friend who held no strong opinions on his girlfriend.

And I was doing so well. When Shaina and Fred walked by me in the hallway, I didn’t duck; in fact, I faked pleasantries and waved hello. I didn’t discuss and overanalyze anything from the day before with Velma in between classes. I didn’t even allow myself to daydream about him during class (okay, not too much, anyway).

But then the whole plan went to Hell; it absolutely exploded in my face when Fred ran into me. Literally.

It was passing time: I was in between history and Spanish class, and I was late. I slammed the door of my locker closed and spun on my heels, heading in the direction of my next class. Since it was down to the final minute before the tardy bell rang, students were frantically rushing by all around me. I had my head down, absorbed in thought (specifically, the details of Sherry’s interview from the other day), so I wasn’t paying attention to my surroundings. A sophomore must have noticed this, because she sidestepped me as I made a beeline for class. But the person moving behind her must not have noticed me, because he slammed right into me and we collided in the middle of the hallway.

It was Fred.

I felt his soft chest crash into mine as I stumbled; my hands flew up, and somehow I managed to grab onto the back of his neck as he caught me before I could fall to the ground. In an attempt to catch me, his arms wrapped around me and he began stammering, “Ah, Daph! I’m-I’m so sorry – are you okay –“ and we were pressed together like that still when the tardy bell rang, causing me to jump and raise my head out of surprise. I tried to speak in response to his unfinished question, but we were still pressed together, so when I opened my mouth my lips accidently grazed his neck, and in that moment I could breathe him in, and he smelled spicy but warm, and it was as comforting as walking into a warm house on a winter evening. I heard him draw in a breath as he removed his arms from my body, and I started falling again from the sudden absence of his arms, and he caught me by the hands before I could fall again.

We stared at each other for a few seconds, standing like that with his hands grasped in mine. I was aware of how hot my hands felt in his, almost electric, as if sparks were shooting from his palms. All I could do was stare at him, my mouth hanging open slightly, as I gazed into his eyes, which were widening and looked – fearful? Sad? It was hard to say. Quickly, I tore my hands out of his and took a couple steps back, reeling. I glanced towards the ground, breaking the tension that was accumulating between us. I was so shaken up and at a loss for words that I didn’t even say anything to him when I finally darted around him and ran to class – I didn’t even thank him for breaking my fall.

The entire exchange felt as though it happened in slow motion, and to be honest, it felt like something straight out of a rom-com, but it had to have only lasted a few seconds. Thankfully, the halls had cleared since it was time for the next class to begin, so no one had witnessed it. But when I walked into my Spanish class two minutes later and slid into my chair, my mind replaying what had happened, I didn’t celebrate the fact that no one was there to see it happen, nor did I dwell on the moment leading up to our collision and how I could have avoided it.

What made my heart flutter in my chest was remembering the way Fred’s arms had felt when he was holding me, how smooth his skin had felt when I had accidently brushed his neck, and how inhaling him had felt as calming as being cocooned in a blanket during a thunderstorm.

And what really made my heart skip was what I observed when I scurried away. I allowed myself to steal one last look at Fred as I hurried away, and I saw him touching the spot on his neck where my lips had been, his mouth gaping and his eyes wide.


	7. Skinny Love

“Skinny Love.” Velma said, sighing with exasperation.

I rolled my eyes. “Skinny _love?!_ Velma, what the hell is that? It doesn’t even sound real to me!”

It was about three hours after Freddy and I had our run-in, and Velma and I were in a science lab located in one of the classrooms at school. School was over for the day, and I had just finished telling Velma about what happened earlier. I didn’t want to tell her, but I had no choice: she took one look at me and could tell that something had happened. Secretly, I knew that my face betrayed all of the thoughts racing through my mind. My heart had not stopped knocking against my ribcage, and my mind felt fuzzy, as if it were wrapped in gauze. I couldn’t focus on anything: I was feeling electric, like a collapsed telephone wire that smacks and sparks against the pavement after falling during a thunderstorm. What I really wanted to do was get the hell out of this school so I could calm down and process everything; however, I had promised Velma that I would meet her in the science lab as she began to test the ice cream sample we received from Sherry.

Velma sighed impatiently again, as if she were explaining something simplistic to a child. “’Skinny love’ is a phrase used to describe a type of romantic relationship. In said relationship, the two parties involved are deeply in love, but are too terrified to communicate their emotions to each other. The _skinny_ part of the phrase is rooted in the fact that neither party will express their romantic feelings. Ultimately, as a result of their lack of communication, the relationship never blossoms into its full potential. As I was saying, you and Fred fit the definition of a classic ‘ _skinny love_.’” 

Despite everything going on, my initial response was laughter. “Honestly Velma, where do you even come up with this stuff, romantic comedies!? I mean, do you hear what you’re saying right now? This honestly sounds like something straight from a poorly written young adult novel!”

“I hear what I am saying, but I don’t think you are hearing me, Daph,” Velma said. “I am serious. I know this all sounds incredibly juvenile, but maybe you should consider how it applies to you and Freddy. The most significant disadvantage of a skinny love is the fact that it never grows past a stifled friendship because both parties are too anxious to share their feelings with each other. From how you described that encounter with you and Fred, I still cling to my original hypothesis; and yes, before you can even say anything, I am aware he is dating someone else right now. I think you would do yourself – and ultimately Freddy, too – a disservice if you continue to keep this all bottled up inside of you.”

I didn’t respond to what Velma was saying as I processed what she said. Even though I had never heard of a “skinny love” until now, the more I thought about it, the more it was possible this fit whatever Fred and I shared. Even though our collision was an awkward encounter, we had obviously both felt _something_.

“Oh, and by the way, Daphne,” Velma said with a mischievous smile. “I don’t know that ‘skinny love’ sounds like the trappings of a YA novel per-say, but it definitely smells like a trope utilized in a piece of fanfiction writing if you ask me!”

Again, I couldn’t resist breaking out into laughter as Velma cracked another grin.

“Okay, now that we have indulged in you and Freddy’s love saga, let’s return to this mystery!” Velma said. “I just finished placing the ice cream sample within a slide, and now I am going to study it using this power microscope that Mrs. Smith graciously allowed me to borrow from the science lab. If there is any trace of alterations within the ice cream, I should know within a few minutes.” And with that, Velma peered through the microscope, adjusting and rotating the lenses every few seconds.

“Velma, I’ve been thinking about this case,” I began, grateful for the change in topic. “We usually have some sort of idea as to who could be our main suspect almost right away, but this time, we don’t have a single lead. I’m worried – do you think there is the slightest chance that Sherry could somehow be involved?”

I had hesitated to voice this, but I had long begun wondering if Sherry was the one behind all of this. It was just so suspicious that all of this was occurring after people ate at her diner. But it was hard for me to reconcile the image of vibrant, smiling, auburn haired Sherry being so corrupted.

Velma pulled her face away from the microscope to look at me. “Honestly? I have pondered the same thing, Daphne. I do agree that it would be wise to place Sherry on our list of suspects, although I do so reluctantly. However, if it helps, I do take some solace in knowing she willingly allowed us to sample this ice cream. If she were the perpetrator, I am not sure if she would have been so willing to hand this over to us for intense examination.”

Velma returned to studying the ice cream sample slide; since she is the scientific expert in our group, I stood nearby as she worked, crossing my arms as I waited patiently. I was beginning to wonder why it was that we had yet to see a citizen transformed into a zombie (although, I guess I should have been grateful that we hadn’t yet) when my phone vibrated in my pocket.

The screen displayed only three words: “Can we talk?” When I peeked at the name of the sender, I groaned and muttered, “Fred.”

“What is it about Fred this time, Daphne?” Velma asked. Her voice was quieter, as if she were mentally distanced from her surroundings, which happened when she was focusing intensely on something in a science lab.

“He just texted me and asked if we could talk.”

But if Velma heard me, she didn’t respond. Instead, she gasped as she stared into the microscope.

“What’s wrong, Velma?” I asked.

Velma took a step backwards from the microscope, as if she could catch a flu from standing too close. “The ice cream has indeed been contaminated! I just located some sort of miniscule sized disc embedded within the ice cream: it looks like some sort of a microchip. The microscope picked up on this because this microchip is otherwise naked to the human eye! That’s how people have been digesting these without noticing.”

I massaged my fingers against my forehead, as if doing so would help my mind process everything easier. “So are you saying that this microchip is the cause of all this behavior then? Like, does the microchip somehow flip some sort of switch in someone to cause them to behave differently?”

“As of now, that does appear to be the case.” Velma confirmed. “My prediction is that when one digests the ice cream with this microchip, they are almost immediately transformed. Now I am wondering how this microchip changes the eater’s mental and physical behavior. Is he or she following orders pre-coded within the chip? Or is someone controlling all of the microchips? This is all still very unclear. What I need to do next is study this for the next two days. If I am able to dissect it, maybe I can figure out how it works, and then we could figure out how to stop people from becoming transformed.”

“There is just one problem with that, though,” I began. “Does studying the chips for the next two days help the people who have already taken one? And better yet, who put the microchips in the ice cream in the first place? What if I am right and it was Sherry?” My stomach felt uneasy at the thought of Sherry as the criminal.

Velma rubbed her chin thoughtfully. “Those are all valid points, Daphne. Perhaps our immediate course of action is to determine the root of the microchips. Maybe if we unmask the creator, then we can force them to tell us how to reverse all of this. And it’s a good thing Sherry’s diner is closed, because at least we know this is confined to only a small percentage of citizens.”

Velma placed the ice cream sample in a plastic bag, and began to store the microscope underneath the cabinets in the science lab. “Daph, text the guys – we have to meet at Sherry’s asap and ask her for the name of this ice cream vendor immediately! We need to pay a visit to the factory in which it is produced and see if we can observe the way the ice cream is being made. If we can witness someone slipping these microchips into the ice cream, maybe we can put an end to this!”


	8. Trouble

_Daphne and Velma were being watched._

_The young woman observing them watched the two sleuths racing through the hallways of Coolsville High School, as the picture on the flat screen mounted to the wall twitched like static electricity. She watched as Daphne and Velma sprinted through the exit doors and continued running through the parking lot, stopping once they reached the Mystery Machine. The two girls jumped into the van, and the screen revealed Shaggy and Scooby sitting in the back seat, with Fred as the driver. Before Velma could finish closing the passenger door, the Mystery Machine peeled out of the parking lot and tore down the main road._

_The young woman narrowed her eyes at the screen and hurled an empty soda can at the monitor, causing the picture on the screen to slide and go black. She had seen enough._

_“I hate them! I hate them all!” The woman snarled through closed lips. “But I_ especially _hate that Daphne Blake!” The woman suddenly laughed as a sinister thought bloomed within her mind. “Well, good thing I know just where they are heading next.”_

_The woman turned to the control panel that was located just below the monitor. Spread out before her were dozens of keys, all different sizes and colors, but she pressed only one yellow circle, which made a loud buzzing sound that reverberated throughout the entire room. About five seconds later, the door to the room flung open. Three men stumbled into the room clumsily, as if they were newborn calves attempting to walk on their own legs for the first time. The men looked regular enough – blue jeans, plaid shirts, clean-shaven – but their skin was pale and waxy._

_And their eyes shone with a vibrant, penetrating blue light._

_“Go and find Mystery Inc., for me,” the woman hissed. “And it shouldn’t be too hard for you to do: they are headed to that diner right now.”_

_As the men turned and walked sloppily out the room, the woman laughed._

_“Watch out, Mystery Inc. – we’re going to hit you so hard, you won’t be solving mysteries ever again!”_


	9. The Pursuit

As the Mystery Machine pulled into Sherry’s Dairy and Diner, Velma spoke.

“All right everyone, remember, we need to find out who is the vendor for this particular ice cream. And for now, I think we should refrain from telling Sherry about the microchip. If Daphne is correct about Sherry being involved, we can’t tip her off and let her know we found a major clue!”

We all nodded as the van was filled with sounds of seat belts unclicking and doors opening. Silently, we walked as a group towards the entrance of the diner. There was a noticeable tension hanging overhead as we walked, as if the weight of Velma’s recent discovery was boring down on our shoulders. As we drove here, we had asked each other many questions: _Who would want to create a microchip like this? For what purpose? Why did they choose Sherry’s ice cream as a means of infesting Coolsville’s citizens? And most important of all, how could we save the people who had already been converted?_ We hoped that visiting the ice cream factory would give us some answers, and fast.

When Fred pushed open the door, the bell chimed to signal our entry. Sherry was sitting behind the cash wrap, her face creased with worry and stress lines etched under her eyes, much like we had last seen her. My heart sunk at the sight of Sherry: how could I have ever thought that she was the one behind all of this?

Sherry lifted her head and beamed at us as we walked towards her. “Hey kids, I am so glad to see you guys! Do you have any leads or clues so far? Did you have a chance to test that ice cream sample that I gave you?”

I flinched at the reminder of withholding our newest discovery from Sherry, in spite of how I had felt sympathetic for her only moments ago. Luckily, Velma didn’t miss a beat, saying, “Unfortunately, we have nothing further to report for you at this time. We actually came by to inquire as to who is the vendor of that particular ice cream flavor. We would like to visit the manufacturer to ask him or her some questions, and perhaps that will give us some leads.”

If Sherry was nervous due to any sort of complicity in the mystery, her facial expression never betrayed herself. Instead, she seemed a bit discouraged: her smile disappeared, and her face looked as though it literally deflated at the sound of Velma’s news. “Oh, well, the vendor is actually here right now, unloading some product in my stock room. If you would like, you kids can speak to the employees after they are finished working. I’m not sure if that will tell you much, though: I’ve been using their products for years, and I’ve never had a problem before now.”

“That could be true, Sherry,” Fred began carefully. “But we have to cover all of our bases and make sure that we leave no stone unturned. Truth be told, we aren’t sure what we are looking for either, but we figured that examining the way the ice cream is being produced is a start.” 

Sherry smiled, but it was more out of sadness than hope. “Okay, sure, no problem kids. Let me know if you need anything else.”

As we exited Sherry’s diner and walked through the parking lot, I could see that Sherry was right. There was a giant truck parked behind the diner. Two men would emerge from the truck carrying boxes and enter the back of the diner, and would re-emerge from the diner to retrieve more boxes. I turned to Velma and asked, “So, are we really interviewing those two workers? I’m not sure that will tell us anything. What would they know about how the ice cream is being produced?”

Velma shook her head. “No Daphne, of course they won’t tell us anything even if they do know how it is produced. Remember, I don’t want Sherry following us too closely. I think a better plan is to wait for the men to finish unloading as we watch from the Mystery Machine, and then to inconspicuously follow the truck back to the factory. From there, we can break into the factory, and hopefully, we’ll find some answers.”

Shaggy gulped. “Like, zoinks! Breaking and enterin’ into an ice cream factory sure sounds fun, but not when it’s to see what’s goin’ on with these Coolsville zombies!”

“Rah rah!” Scooby nodded his head in vigorous agreement.

“Come on, Shaggy,” Fred said, as he climbed into the Mystery Machine. “I thought you would be all over the idea of breaking into an ice cream factory.”

“Like, normally I would, but not if it means the possibility of seeing a Coolsville zombie!” Shaggy yelped. “And besides Fredster, we have all of this yummy ice cream waiting safely inside Sherry’s nice and empty diner, right Scoob?!”

“Rah rah!” Scooby nodded again in vigorous agreement.

Velma rolled her eyes and dug into the backseat of the Mystery Machine, emerging with a box of Scooby Snacks. Shaggy and Scooby were lined up in front of her in a matter of two seconds, their mouths salivating and their smiles wide. “Okay you two, if we’re going to do this, we need to put on a brave face! Here are some Scooby Snacks to hold you over for now!” She tossed them two pieces each, and both Shaggy and Scooby caught them in mid-air, gulping down the treats greedily.

I was smiling at the sight of Shaggy and Scooby enjoying their snack when I felt as though I were being watched. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Fred staring at me silently. I shifted uncomfortably in my seat. Fred and I had yet to speak to each other, so that naturally meant we had yet to discuss what had occurred between us. So far, he had also failed to acknowledge the text he had sent me earlier, too, but with the way this mystery was starting to unravel, I wasn’t sure when we would have an opportunity to speak in private.

I debated whether or not I should say anything to Fred to break the awkward silence between us when Velma spoke from the backseat, saying, “Okay gang, it looks like those two workers are done unloading! Let’s follow them!” 

Sure enough, Velma was right: the men had climbed into their truck and were starting up the engine as she spoke.

Fred started the Mystery Machine and kept his eyes trained on the truck. “We better keep a safe distance from them as we follow,” Fred said. “I don’t want them to realize they’re being followed, just in case something is going on. Plus, I think we would have an advantage of noticing things that aren’t meant to be seen at that factory if we aren’t caught.”

Fred waited for the truck to pull out of the parking lot before guiding the van onto the main road. True to his word, he kept several feet away from the van, and maintained a nonchalant facial expression in case the employees were to notice and feel suspicious.

“So, just like, what are we expectin’ to see at this factory, anyway? Zombies?” Shaggy asked with a shudder.

“That’s the thing, Shaggy – we really don’t know what we are even looking for,” Velma lamented. “My hope is that we may see exactly where the microchips are being embedded within the ice cream. I think that if we can witness the factory altering the ice cream, we will at the very least have proof that Sherry is innocent, and perhaps we can ask Coolsville police to assist us in busting the ice cream vendors.”

“It really is interesting that we haven’t seen any ‘zombie citizens’ so far,” I remarked. “Usually when we have a mystery, we’ve been chased all over haunted mansions or abandoned towns by now. We’ve been lucky.”

“Like, and let’s hope it stays that way!” Shaggy declared. “All I know is that if I see one of those zombies, I’m gonna, like, lose it!”

“Rah rah, lose it!” Scooby agreed. He began shivering and whimpering with fear at the thought of meeting a zombie.

“Well, as long as we put a stop to whoever is controlling Coolsville with these microchips, you guys should get your wish,” Fred said, his eyes still trained on the truck several feet ahead of us. Outside, houses and business buildings were replaced by trees: we were leaving Coolsville’s city limits, and entering the less suburban areas nearby. “Can you guys just imagine if we actually solve this mystery without having to run into any creepy monsters or bad guys in masks?”

“That would indeed be a wonderful thing,” Velma mused. “However, I am still skeptical. And let’s not forget that even if we do somehow evade these zombies, whoever is implanting microchips into citizens and transforming them into zombies is a seriously sick and twisted person. I think we are dealing with someone who is seriously deranged, gang. The question now remains as to who that person is.”

“Like, they really are sick and cruel if they want to make people into zombies by usin’ ice cream!” Shaggy agreed. “The thought of misusing ice cream that way just makes me sick!”

Fred squinted his eyes at the truck ahead of us. “Hey gang, where do you suppose this factory is located? I wasn’t expecting to follow it into the outskirts of the city. In fact, I don’t see any businesses or homes at all.” 

Fred was right: we were surrounded by trees all around us, and they extended as far as the eye could see. We had traveled outside of Coolsville often for mysteries, but even still, I wasn’t sure of exactly where we were right now, and we had only been driving for about twenty minutes.

Velma whistled under her breath. “Perhaps there is a chance we aren’t going to the factory after all.”

“ZOINKS! Then where are we, like, headed?” Shaggy asked. He and Scooby dove under the seats and began shaking with fear.

“I don’t know, Shaggy, but I think we’ll find out soon.” Velma said, watching the truck ahead of us as it made a sharp left at a fork in the road up ahead.

Suddenly, Freddy turned to me. “Is everything okay, Daph? You’ve been awful quiet this whole time.”

I felt my breath hitch in my throat. Was that supposed to be a trick question? Of course I was being quiet! I didn’t know what I was supposed to say to him after our collision earlier.

“Uh, yea, everything is definitely fine!” I said with a forced, nervous laugh. Fred looked at me skeptically and opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but then stopped, returning his gaze to the road.

I kicked myself for not saying anything, remembering Velma’s emphasis on “skinny love” earlier. But in my defense, how was I going to say anything to Fred with my friends sitting right here, and especially while he was still dating Shaina? Honestly, the odds were not in my favor at this point.

Almost as if Shaggy had read my thoughts on Shaina, he asked, “Fredster, isn’t Shaina gonna be mad that we’re takin’ so long with the mystery today? Like, don’t you guys usually hang out after school?”

Fred looked visibly tense at Shaggy’s question, shifting in his seat uncomfortably. “Actually Shaggy, funny you should mention that. I just broke up with Shaina after school today.”

I felt myself reeling at Fred’s response, as if I had been jolted by lightning. Velma and Shaggy gasped from the back seat.

“Wow Fredster, sorry to hear that!” Shaggy said, not sounding too sorry at all. “Like, don’t feel bad, buddy: I know there’s a girl out there waiting for you!” I groaned internally, knowing that Shaggy had to be saying this for my benefit.

“Yes Fred, there is definitely a girl out there for you somewhere,” Velma echoed, with a smile on her face. “You know, she is definitely somewhere out there, or I think maybe even somewhere in here –“

I shot Velma a dirty look as she threw her hands over her mouth, suppressing a laugh. She smiled at me mischievously, then pointed to her phone, which was our way of signaling an incoming text message to each other.

I grabbed my phone, careful to look as calm and collected as possible with this recent information. But it didn’t appear as though Fred were trying to gauge my reaction: his eyes were still focused intently on the truck ahead of us.

My phone vibrated in my hand. I checked the screen and read the message from Velma: “Okay Daph, come on now!! My. Hypothesis. Is. Still. Right.” I chuckled under my breath. Leave it to Velma to insist on gloating about a hypothesis, even in the middle of a mystery.

I was in the middle of deciding what to write back to Velma (even though I wanted to feel hopeful and confident alongside Velma, my knee jerk reaction was that Fred had other reasons for breaking things off with Shaina. I just couldn’t risk getting my hopes up again.), when suddenly Fred gasped.

“Well gang, I think we found out where this truck is taking us, and it sure as hell is not a factory,” Fred said slowly.

Everyone’s eyes were glued to the truck now, which had parked in front of a small cabin up ahead. Fred pulled the Mystery Machine off to the side of the road, shielding us from the men’s view as we hid behind a cluster of trees.

“Where are we right now?” I asked. “There’s nothing even around here except for a bunch of trees and that cabin up ahead!”

We had anticipated a factory surrounded by tons of other businesses; instead, all I could see was the cabin, and trees spread around us in all directions. It was almost as though we were tucked away deep in the woods, and had stumbled upon an abandoned cabin. But the cabin itself didn’t necessarily look unwelcoming; in fact, it looked like a larger version of a cabin that might welcome families for an idyllic summer vacation. Whoever lived there kept the cabin well maintained, which was evident from the freshly cut grass and the flowers that flanked the sides of the cabin. If I had stumbled upon this cabin any other time, I wouldn’t have thought this place was unusual.

“I would venture to say that is the point, Daph,” Velma said, watching as the two men exited the truck and walked into the cabin. “That may look like a regular cabin, but I have a hunch that this cabin is a deceitful way of looking ordinary to throw off anyone who may be on to them, like we are right now. But this is certainly suspicious, because Sherry informed us those men were vendors handing back to the factory – and that is definitely not a factory. My prediction is that there is something suspicious going on in there, and we need to check it out! Maybe, this is where the microchips are being produced.”

Shaggy let out a yelp. “Like, one problem, Velm – how are we supposed to go in there and look around with those two clowns here? They’ll catch us for sure!!”

Everyone paused, pensively considering Shaggy’s point.

“I think Shag is right, gang.” Fred said. “If we had been lead to a factory, it would have been a lot easier to explore without being caught, but I think the risk is too great to enter that cabin with those two lurking around. We don’t know if they are involved in all of this somehow, and I think it’s best we don’t tip them off by questioning them right now, either. I say we skip school tomorrow and come back here in the morning. I’m sure by then no one will be here, and we can spend the day looking around for clues.”

“Like, I can’t believe I’m sayin’ this, but for once I actually agree with your plan, Freddy!” Shaggy said, clapping his hands together. Scooby began barking and wagging his tail eagerly.

As the Mystery Machine turned back onto the road, retracing the route we had just driven, Velma eyed Fred. “Gee, Fred. I wonder if part of the reason as to why you want to skip school tomorrow has anything to do with avoiding your new ex-girlfriend?”

Fred’s cheeks burned a deep crimson, and he grinned sheepishly. “Wow Velma, I guess there’s no lying to you, huh?”


	10. Interuptted

As Velma stepped out of the Mystery Machine and walked up her front driveway, Fred and I were finally alone. As Fred always does at the end of the day, he was driving the gang to their homes. But even though it was finally just the two of us and this would have been the perfect opportunity to break away from the label of “skinny love,” I didn’t know what to say.

Apparently, Fred didn’t know what to say to me, either. As he drove, we passed the time in silence, as Velma’s neighborhood flashed before us outside our window. We both looked at the road ahead of us attentively, as if there was something fascinating that we couldn’t look away from. As the Mystery Machine turned out of Velma’s neighborhood and rattled down the main road, I decided that I was going to wait until Fred spoke first. He was the one who texted me first asking if we could talk; if he still had something he wanted to say to me, then he could be the first to talk, skinny love be damned.

Finally, Fred cleared his throat, as if he was going to speak. I watched him swallow, his Adam’s apple moving up and down in his throat. He opened his mouth, prepared to speak again, but then he suddenly jerked the van into a sharp right, pulling into a deserted parking lot.

I knitted my eyebrows together in confusion: somehow, we had ended up parked in front of Sherry’s Dairy and Diner.

Fred ran his hands throw his hair, exhaling loudly, as if he were trying to expel nerves. I could feel my heart tugging: I couldn’t believe he was as nervous as I was right now.

Finally, he spoke: “I’m sorry, Daph. You probably wonder what the hell is going on. It’s just that I really need to talk to you about something, but I’m a little nervous, and I just really need to take a second to gather my thoughts.” And then he opened the door and stepped outside, walking out into the middle of the parking lot.

I shook my head, bemused. I was starting to feel a little less unsettled seeing Fred so nervous. _Maybe Velma is right,_ I told myself, feeling a surge of confidence. _Maybe he is nervous because he really does have feelings for me, too._

I tried to keep my hope at bay, just in case this was a horrible miscalculation; besides, Fred was starting to make me a little nervous. He was pacing in the middle of the parking lot, and I had never seen him like this. I was growing concerned that something was even wrong with Fred: it wasn’t like him to act out of sorts. I stepped out of the passenger seat and walked over to where was standing.

The sun had already dipped out of the horizon: the moon hung overhead, lighting the parking lot around us. When Fred saw me approaching, he walked right up to me. I faltered, suddenly feeling less confident and less resolved, but he wasn’t looking at me, he was looking at the ground and the three inches of space that was separating us, and I thought he was going to say something but he didn’t. We both just stood there, rooted in place, and I watched his chest as he was breathing, in and out, up and down, and I felt as though my head was spinning. My heart began pounding, and it would not stop racing as I asked, “Freddy, is everything all right?”

Later, when I thought back on this moment in an attempt to remember everything that had happened, I would first remember how everything happened all at once, a quick succession of events that exploded one second after the next.

Fred finally began to speak, whispering, “Daph, there’s something I need to know –“

As he began to speak, he finally rose his head, his eyes meeting mine. But then Fred’s eyes widened, and his mouth dropped. My head was still spinning, waiting on what Fred would say next, when suddenly he rushed towards me, closing the gap between us, and he circled his arms around my hips, and our bodies collided in a similar manner as they had earlier, only this time purposefully. I flew to the ground as Fred pushed me away from where I was standing, and he fell clumsily on top of me in the process, and again I could feel his soft chest flush against my own, his arms still locked around me. I heard the pounding of footsteps and saw a shadow looming overhead, standing at the very spot I had occupied just seconds ago.

“Daph, look out!” Fred yelled, pointing in the distance. “We’ve got company!”

I looked to where he was pointing, attempting still to process everything that was happening at all once. But when I saw what Fred was pointing at, my blood ran cold.

Standing over us in the very spot where I had just been facing Fred was a man. At a glance, he looked harmless enough. He wore street clothes, like blue jeans and a plaid shirt, and had short, messy brown hair. But then I noticed that the man didn’t look normal, as if he were sick. His skin was pale and shone, almost as if it were coated in wax.

And his eyes shone with a deep, vibrant blue penetrating light.

I gasped, recalling how Josh had described seeing Layne once he had been transformed. “Jeepers, I think we just had our first zombie sighting,” I said, noting how the fear I felt made my voice wobble.

“Stay…away…from…the cabin…” the zombie moaned, loping towards us slowly, his arms outstretched.

“Come on, Daph, we’ve gotta go!” Fred yelled. He jumped up from the ground and grabbed my hand in his, pulling me up with him. Clasping my hand in his, he turned and pulled me towards the diner. 

“Sherry might still be here,” he was yelling. “Maybe if we can get in the diner, we can somehow trap the zombie, and then –“

Another zombie, this one with short blonde hair but the same devious blue eyes, stepped out of the diner, moaning. We stopped running and took a few steps backwards, putting distance between ourselves and this new zombie.

“Join…us…” the second zombie said, stretching his arms towards us. “You…can…fulfill…the final…mission…too…”

“I don’t think so!” I yelled, pulling Fred backwards as I started running towards the Mystery Machine. “Keep running, Freddy!”

Luckily, the zombies didn’t move too quickly, but that didn’t stop my heart from knocking against my chest as I ran with Fred’s hand clasped tightly in mine, the adrenaline pumping through my veins. When we reached the van Fred flew into the driver seat, and I slammed the door behind us. Outside, the two zombies were staggering towards us, and even though they walked slowly but clumsily, they were getting closer and closer.

“Freddy, step on it!” I yelled, as he was twisting the key in the ignition.

“I’m trying, but the van isn’t starting for some reason!” Fred cried, clearly panicking. Finally, the van roared to life – just as a third zombie threw himself at the window shield. He glared at us through the window, his bright blue eyes watching us intensely. The zombie began pounding his fast against the car and laughing maniacally. I screamed and covered my eyes with my hands.

“Hang on, Daph – we’re getting out of here!” Fred yelled. His foot slammed into the gas pedal and the Mystery Machine tore out of the parking lot at high speed, causing the zombie on the window shield to fly off and land onto the pavement. As we sped away from the diner, I watched from behind us as the two zombies who had been walking continued to follow us, attempting to hurry their lumbering walk. Luckily, they weren’t moving fast at all, and as we drove down the street, they were no longer in sight.

Fred pulled over onto the side of the road and parked. In the silence, I finally noticed that he was panting, his chest heaving up and down as it was earlier before we were attacked.

He turned to me and clasped my hands in his, and I noticed that both of our hands were shaking, and even despite all the danger and everything that had just happened, touching him still made my stomach feel warm, as if I were carrying electricity inside of me.

“Daph, are you okay?” Fred asked, his concerned eyes meeting mine. I was so shaken up that I couldn’t even respond – I merely nodded. Satisfied with my answer, Fred exhaled loudly, as if he were releasing everything that had just happened. He released my hands and placed his hands back on the steering wheel and began driving again, this time at a reduced speed.

“What do we do now? Should we call Velma and Shaggy?” I asked.

Fred began to pick up speed, as if the recollection of seeing zombies made them materialize before us as we drove. “I think we should be fine to tell them tomorrow. Did you hear what that zombie said when he was chasing us? They somehow found out that we were at that cabin earlier, and they want us away from there. That must mean they’re definitely hiding something in there, which means Velma is right. This means it’s even more important that we check out that cabin first thing in the morning. I’ll call the police and report this recent zombie attack at Sherry’s tomorrow morning before we leave. They need to know that the zombies are attacking people in public in full force now.”

I knew Fred was right about the urgency in exploring the cabin, but I couldn’t help but groan at the thought of possibly running into zombies again; at this rate, Shaggy and Scooby weren’t going to be the only ones who would need to be coaxed into walking into this mystery willingly.


	11. Irreversible

“Like, zoinks! I still don’t understand, like, why you both waited to tell us about this zombie attack! You coulda been zombie food!” Shaggy yelped.

It was the morning after Fred and I had been ambushed by the zombies in front of Sherry’s diner. Fred, Shaggy, Scooby, and I were on our way to Coolsville High School: I had just updated Shaggy and Scooby about our run-in with the zombies, which prompted us to hurry along in investigating the cabin that day. And even though it had been decided that we would skip classes for the day in order to search the cabin, Velma had snuck off that morning to study the microchip in the school science lab, and had told us where she was only minutes ago. We were currently driving to the school to pick her up, and then we were on our way to the isolated cabin in the woods.

“Well, we’re telling you about the zombie attack now because we knew that if you heard about it last night after it happened, you and Scooby probably wouldn’t want to visit that cabin today,” Fred explained as the Mystery Machine pulled into the school parking lot. “We know how you guys tend to be scared when monsters are involved.”

“Well of course Fredster, and for GOOD REASON!” Shaggy cried. “Like, I want to live to see graduation day: I don’t want to be zombie food!”

“Rombie rood is not good rood!” Scooby agreed.

“Don’t worry guys, I called Coolsville police and reported the attack this morning,” Fred explained. “When I mentioned that it happened at Sherry’s diner, the cop I spoke to said he would send some officers over to examine the security cameras and speak to Sherry about the incident. Hopefully, they can help us in getting some answers for this case!”

Fred pulled the van into a parking space and turned off the car. Outside, students were clustered together in tight groups, laughing and talking in lively voices as they filed into the school. But there was something unusual about the noise level of the school parking lot, which was usually rambunctiously loud. It seemed quitter than any other given day, and I couldn’t help but notice that it was because there were fewer students in the parking lot. Every day the student population was decreasing just a little more, and although it wasn’t enough to be a concern for the principal to address, it was still evident. When any student did inquire as to what was causing so many absences as of late, a teacher would brush it off and attribute it to an illness going around the school. But what if the increasing absences were connected with the zombie attacks?

As if Fred had read my mind, he said, “Gang, we need to hurry up and figure this mystery out before anyone else gets hurt or goes missing. Sherry is still missing her fry cook, and I think Coolsville is starting to take a more significant hit in terms of missing citizens. We should move quickly.”

I unbuckled my seat belt and opened my door. As I started climbing out of the van, I said, “I’ll go inside and hurry Velma along. You guys wait in the Mystery Machine. We’ll just be a few minutes, and then we’ll get going to search for clues in the cabin.”

As I threaded my way through crowds of students and made my way into the school, my heels clicking against the pavement below my feet, I thought back on the zombie attack the previous night. It had been our first encounter with the zombies, and I was sure that it wouldn’t be the last. The zombie attacking us had mentioned something strange – something about a “final mission.” What was all that about? Josh had stated that Layne uttered something similar when he attacked, too.

I finally reached Velma’s favorite science lab and burst through the doors, my eyes scanning the room for Velma. I quickly located her seated on the ground, her face cloudy with what looked to be a mix of fear and regret.

“Hey Velm, what’s going on?” I asked, approaching Velma. I lowered myself next to her on the floor. “Is everything all right? You don’t look too happy about something.”

Velma shook her head slowly. “That’s because I am not too happy, Daph. I slipped in early this morning to study the microchip we found in great detail. After spending some time deconstructing the chip and playing around with the wiring and the mother board, I have finally reached the disturbing conclusion that the microchip appears to be…irreversible. Or at the very least, if it is reversible, it appears as though it must be done from a master control panel of sorts. There is one switch in the chip that I was not able to discern or crack, and if that is the one that stops transforming people into zombies, then I think whoever is behind all of this holds all of the power for reversing the microchips. And even if we were to somehow trap a citizen, studying this microchip was for nothing: I would have no clue how to remove the chip without hurting the infected citizen in the process. I hate to admit it, but I am starting to feel more and more helpless about this case.”

I put my arms around Velma’s shoulders and gave her a tight hug; even though what she was saying definitely didn’t sound good, it hurt to see Velma, who was usually so confident and logical, acting despondent. “Oh Velma, you did your best with that microchip, and I know that had to be hard. Don’t beat yourself up! We’ll go to that cabin today, find some clues to lead us to the person behind all of this, and make them tell us how to reverse this whole thing. After all, we’re Mystery Inc., and that’s what we do best!”

Velma sighed, remaining silent for a minute. Outside the classroom, I could hear a group of students running through the hallways, their sneakers smacking against the ground as they yelled in excited voices. The tardy bell was probably going to ring relatively soon if people were already hurrying to classes.

Finally, Velma smiled briefly. “You’re right, Daph – we always get to the bottom of the mystery! I will try to remain optimistic and upbeat. Perhaps searching the cabin will yield some answers, after all.”

I smiled to see the old Velma returning: her eyes were looking shiny with curiosity again, and a smile was beginning to spread across her face. As we pulled ourselves up from the ground, I could hear more students running; the sound of their feet pounding against the floor echoed outside the hallway. A girl was crying and yelling about how she never wanted to return to this school ever again. I rolled my eyes, yet part of me was curious about the newest teenage drama that was surely unfolding outside the classroom. It sounded like high school drama was at an all-time high today for some reason.

“It sure seems awful busy out there today, doesn’t it?” Velma asked, as she moved to clean up her work station, returning the microscope and other belongings to the appropriate drawers. Before I could even respond, I heard the sound of another student rushing through the hallway, only this time it was accompanied with screaming. It was the kind of shrill scream that started deep within the gut and built into a high-pitch crescendo: a primitive, guttural scream that sounded more bestial than human.

It was the kind of scream I was accustomed to hearing from Scooby and Shaggy when we were being chased during a mystery.

The kind of shrill, high pitched scream that was shot with pure terror.

Velma and I turned to each other, exchanging a wordless look filled with fear and concern. Quickly, we both rushed out of the classroom and stood in the hallway, glancing around to see what was going on, but saw nothing; in fact, there wasn’t a single person standing around.

“What do you think is going on, Velm?” I asked. “That didn’t sound like –“

As I started speaking, a sophomore boy started sprinting towards us. I opened my mouth to form a question, but then he stopped and stood before us, his eyes wide with panic.

“You’ve gotta help us! There’s – there’s – there’s zombies in this school, man!” He yelled, glancing around maniacally. “We’re not safe anywhere! They’re attacking everyone in the school!” Before Velma or I could question him further, the student started jogging away from us, running towards the exit.

“Zombies?!” Velma echoed. “But that is absurd. So far, we have had only minimal zombie sightings in public, and –“

She was cut off by another group of students racing towards us, their arms flailing and their eyes wide with fear. As the group approached us, a girl turned to us and yelled, “Watch out – she’s coming!” She pointed behind her, towards the direction they were running from, and continued racing towards the exit.

My gaze followed to the direction where the girl was pointing, and I felt myself freeze, my veins icing over with fear. Standing at the end of the hallway was a woman with waxy, pale skin, and the same blue shining eyes as the zombies we had seen last night. Her shirt was shredded and torn, as were her blue jeans. And caked onto her clothing, and speckled around her mouth, was a vibrant red liquid.

Blood.

“Oh. My. God.” Velma uttered, as we both slowly backed away from the woman, who was approaching us at a quickening gait. “I can’t comprehend what I am seeing right now. It’s – it’s – IT’S A –“

The woman screeched, the hallway reverberating with her primal howl. Her eyes honed in on us, her gaze locking with our eyes, and she began loping towards us, arms outstretched.

“IT’S A _ZOMBIE_! RUN!”


	12. Zombie Attack

I watched as the zombie strode closer to Velma and I, the zombie’s walk becoming more and more rushed as she fixed her beady blue eyes upon us. While she staggered a bit like the zombies I had seen last night, her walk was becoming smoother and more fluid as she approached us, as if she were slowly perfecting how to move. Even more remarkable than her walk was the blood stained on her clothes and body. Although we were danger, I stood rooted as though in a trance: I couldn’t break my gaze from the blood that was dripping down the zombie’s lips and trailing behind her as she walked. Was that blood from her victims? Or was it her own blood? I shuddered to even consider how vicious these former citizens were now that they were zombies.

“DAPHNE, RUN!” Velma screamed. She shook my shoulders in an effort to pull me out of my trance.

I jolted as I fully realized the danger that was hastening before me. Spinning on my heels, I ran in the opposite direction, with Velma following behind me. Just a few feet behind us was the zombie, panting and screeching as she attempted to keep up with us.

Suddenly I heard a loud _SMACK,_ and I stopped to look behind me. Velma had somehow managed to stumble and fall face first onto the ground. Her glasses laid on the ground a few feet away from her.

“Jinkies, my glasses,” Velma said, as she began crawling and blindly patting the ground around her, attempting to locate them. “I can’t see a thing without my glasses!” 

The zombie pursuing us slowed as she approached Velma, who would be helpless against the zombie without her glasses. _My best friend is not about to become zombie food,_ I thought as I raced towards the zombie.

“Hey you freak, don’t even think about touching her!” I yelled, as I raced towards the zombie. I was nearing the zombie and raising my fist, prepared to smack her in her waxy, pale face, when something huge suddenly smashed into my side, sending me staggering into the lockers lined up against the hallway. Before I could even process what had happened, something rammed into my side again, this time sending me sprawling onto the ground.

I moaned and grasped at my side as it was wracked with spasms of pain. A few feet away from me, Velma was still patting at the ground around her, failing to locate her glasses. And hovering just above Velma was the zombie who was chasing us, but standing next to her was another zombie, this one a tall, thin, almost scrawny looking man wearing loose fitting jeans and a relaxed t-shirt, and like his counterpart, he too had blood stains on his clothing and freckled around his mouth.

I shivered as I attempted to fight through the pain and raise my body up from the ground. The male zombie must have been what had pushed into me when I was attempting to help Velma.

I watched, helpless and in pain, as the female zombie raised one of her feet and brought it down hard against Velma’s hand. Velma screamed in agony as the zombie laughed, grinding her heel against Velma’s hand as if she were squishing a bug beneath her feet. When the zombie decided she was done trying to break Velma’s hand, she grabbed Velma by the throat and picked her up easily, as if Velma weighed nothing, and she tossed Velma against the other side of the wall in one effortless, fluid motion. Velma crumbled against the floor, motionless except for a slight rising and falling coming from her chest to indicate that she was indeed still alive. 

I screamed and screamed and screamed as I watched my best friend being rag-dolled by a zombie. Despite my pain, I pushed myself off the ground and ran towards the female zombie: adrenaline was piloting my body, and instinct was taking over. The male zombie lurched towards me in an effort to stop me, but he missed as I darted around him. The female zombie had her back turned against me as she was drawing closer to Velma’s unmoving body, so she didn’t see me when I tackled into her with all my weight, sending her flying face-first into the cinder block wall. The zombie groaned in pain upon impact, and she slid to the floor in a heap.

I spun around to face the male zombie, but this time I was too slow; he lurched towards me again, and his fist connected with my jaw. I grabbed my face where he had punched me and staggered away from him, reeling in pain. He leapt towards me in two giant strides and suddenly he was looming in front of me. I backed away, trying to put space between us, but he reached out and clasped his hands around my neck. My hands flew to his arms and attempted to pull him off of me, but he was too strong.

The zombie leaned closer to my face, so close that I could see the blood studded across his chin and I could feel his breath hot and sticky against my face as he spoke. “I…am…going…to…suffocate…you!” he said. And then he began to squeeze my neck, causing me to sputter and choke as I grasped for air. I began panicking, my hands flailing and beating against his arms in a feeble attempt to remove his hands from my neck, but he never even flinched, as though he didn’t feel my blows. I felt myself getting weaker and weaker as my vision became spotty, black dots dancing before me.

The zombie laughed. “My master…will be…especially pleased…that I have disposed of _you_!”

I could feel my body becoming heavy as lead, and my hands drifted to my side, powerless and weakening against the zombie’s strangling hands. My vision was darkening more and more around the edges, and by now I could only see the zombie’s shining blue eyes as though I were looking down a long, dark tunnel. Then, my ears began ringing: I knew that I was losing air and would pass out from lack of oxygen soon. I knew that the school was under attack, and the zombies were going to kill everyone, and that this zombie, judging from the blood on his face, would likely feast upon my flesh once I was unconscious. And yet, in spite of all this, as my vision became darker and darker and my body felt heavier and heavier, only one clear, lucid thought bubbled to the top of my frantic mind – 

_I never got to tell Fred how I feel about him._


	13. Saved

I felt the zombie’s warm breath tickle my face as he laughed, my vision growing darker. “Soon, you…will…be –“

Suddenly, the weight of his hands choking my neck was removed, and I collapsed into a heap on the ground, unable to keep myself upright. I still couldn’t see much, but I heard a loud _THUD_ as something crashed nearby me, and the zombie let out a loud “OOMPF.”

I grasped at the spots on my neck where the zombie had been strangling me and began gasping for air, relief flooding through me as my lungs filled with oxygen, my chest rising and falling quickly as my chest burned. My ears had stopped ringing, so now I could clearly hear what sounded like fists pummeling the zombie, and the zombie sighing “OOMPF” with each impact. And slowly, the black dots dancing before me were clearing up, and I began to see patches of what was happening as my vision was restored to me gradually. First, I could see that the female zombie I had tackled was slouched against the wall, still unconscious, her mouth hanging open. I could see Velma awake and leaning against the wall across from me, her glasses sliding down the bridge of her nose once again. And standing beside Velma, his arms draped around her shoulders, was Shaggy, with Scooby cowering and shaking behind Shaggy’s legs.

_SHAGGY AND SCOOBY?!_

My brain hazily recalled that I had left Shaggy, Scooby, and Freddy in the van when I went into the school for Velma only 20 minutes ago. What were they doing here now? And where was Fred?

My vision finally cleared, I looked to where the zombie who was attacking me was laying, and felt my body jolted with surprise when I saw Freddy straddling the zombie as the zombie lay motionless on the ground, flinching every time Fred’s fist smashed against the zombie’s face.

_Fred saved me – he had saved my life._ If Fred hadn’t tackled the zombie, I would have been passed out in the zombie’s arms, awaiting some sort of horrible fate at the hands of a killer. How had he and Shaggy known that Velma and I were in danger?

Coughing and sputtering still for air, I sat up slowly, my back leaning against the wall for support since I still felt too weak to stand on my own. Velma and Shaggy looked at me from across the hallway, concern in their eyes. Still standing behind Shaggy, Scooby whined softly as his gaze flitted between me and Fred, his eyes wide with worry.

Fred finally looked up at me from punching the zombie, and our eyes locked. Then he stood up and gave the zombie one final, swift kick into the groin. The zombie moaned softly, flinching only slightly in reaction to the pain: it didn’t look like he would be moving anytime soon.

Fred moved towards me in three quick bounds and lowered himself to the ground where I was sitting, pulling me into his arms and holding me as I continued to cough for air. “Daphne, are you all right?! Shaggy and Scooby and I saw tons of people running and screaming while we were waiting for you outside the school, and when we heard the zombies were in here attacking everyone, we came looking for you and Velma!”

For some reason, hearing him speak to me triggered something deep within me and I began crying, my emotions finally flooding through me like water bursting through a dam. I wrapped my arms around Fred’s neck and pulled him close against me, relieved that I was given another chance to touch him and see him again. Fred kept one arm wrapped tight around my back, while his other hand began stroking my hair softly as I sputtered and choked on my tears.

“It’s okay, Daph – let it all out.” Fred murmured in a soothing, quiet tone. “I’m here, and I won’t let anything happen to you.”

I continued sobbing as Freddy held me close, his muscular arms squeezing me as I released all of my emotions. His chest felt soft against mine, and I burrowed my face into the crook of his neck, inhaling him there as I had the other day when we collided in the hallway. Even though I was nearly killed by a zombie only moments ago, being wrapped in Fred’s arms made me feel safe and secure, as if nothing could ever touch me as long as he was holding me.

Behind Fred’s shoulder, I could see Shaggy approaching us cautiously. “Like, hey guys,” Shaggy said. “I know that Daphne is in shock right now, but like, I think those zombies could decide to wake up at any minute, or like, worse yet, we might see more coming at us like any minute now. I think we need to get movin’!”

Fred released me, but he kept his hands on my shoulders. “Shaggy is right, gang. We need to get out of here and call the police. Daphne, Velma – are you two okay to run?”

Velma straightened up and smiled, “Right now, I feel like I can run faster than Shaggy and Scooby at an all you can eat buffet, Freddy. Daphne, are you okay?”

All four of them looked at me, their gazes questioning and probing. I knew they were worried after my emotional outburst, but after seeing Velma attacked and after I was nearly suffocated at the hands of a zombie, I was growing more apprehensive about this mystery. This wasn’t our usual ballgame; we were accustomed to dealing with disgruntled men and women behind cheap masks who were plotting revenge for one petty reason or another. While it was usually scary at the time, the danger was relatively nonexistent; even when one of us was kidnapped, no one had ever tried to seriously hurt us before. Now, the threat and the danger was tangibly real, which was evidenced by the zombies’ increased violence and the blood stained on their body. And as Velma had said earlier, if we didn’t find out who was the ring leader of all this madness, there was no reversing the zombies back into citizens, and who knew how long it would be before we were all eaten or killed by zombies?

But I put on a brave face and smiled in what I hoped was a convincing manner, looking at each member of the gang as I answered. “Yea, I feel fine to run – now let’s get out of here!”

Fred nodded; he clasped his hands in mine, and pulled me to my feet. “I meant what I said, Daph – I’ll make sure you stay safe, so please don’t worry.” He squeezed his hand in mine, and in spite of everything, I could feel my cheeks turning red. “C’mon gang, let’s get going!”

The five of us began to run down the hallway, clustered together in a tight group. I shuddered as we raced by the unmoving zombie who had tried to strangle me, squeezing Fred’s hand in mine as we continued running. We raced towards the stairwell and began descending the stairs, taking the steps two at a time. But as soon as we reached the lower level, the sound of screams and cries assailed our ears. Scooby yelped and jumped into Shaggy’s outstretched arms.

We all stopped as we stood and stared at the scene unravelling before us on the lower level of the school. A young boy sat on the ground, cowering in fear as a stout zombie loomed above them, blood dribbling from his mouth. Another girl was being dragged down the hallway by a male zombie, and her petrified screams pierced our ears. Yet another zombie was chasing a boy down the hallway as the boy yelled, begging for his mom. The zombie leapt at the boy and took him down, swiping and clawing at the student’s stomach, and shredding the boy’s shirt as the boy continued to yell and plead for his life.

“Gang, we need to race down this hallway in order to make it to the exit,” Fred explained to us in a soft voice, as if doing so would make us invisible to the zombies. “I wish we could save everyone, but our best bet is getting out of here, telling the police, and getting to that cabin so we can solve this mystery. On my count, we start running. One…twoooo…”

“LIKE, ZOINKS! THREE!” Shaggy yelped as he tore down the hallway ahead of us, with Scooby close behind. Confused, Velma, Fred, and I turned to where Shaggy was standing – and came face to face with a younger male zombie, his arms outstretched towards us and his shirt caked with blood.

“Join…us…” The zombie implored, as he moved towards us.

“I think we will have to pass on that offer!” Velma screeched. “RUN!”

The three of us took off running, racing past zombies as they attacked our classmates, hoping that the younger male zombie wasn’t close behind. As we neared the exit doors, I was brave enough to steal a glance behind us; luckily, we had managed to lose the zombie’s interest, as he had stopped to help another zombie drag a girl down the hallway as she protested being kidnapped, kicking her feet against the ground.

We burst through the exit doors and collapsed to the ground, panting and exhausted: we were finally outside the school and standing in the parking lot, (presumably) safe and sound. Ahead of us, standing near a parked cop car, was Officer Smith, an officer we had worked with often in previous mysteries. We all exchanged relieved looks when we saw him.

“Oh good, someone has already alerted the authorities,” Velma said in between gasps of breath. “Come on, gang – we need to talk to Officer Smith and see what the police are doing about this chaotic attack!”

We walked as a group towards where Officer Smith was standing. As we neared him, I could see the way Officer Smiths’ eyebrows were crinkled together, as if he was confused.

“Officer Smith! Boy are we sure glad to see you!” Shaggy cried. “There’s like, a whole gang of zombies ready to feast on our classmates inside that school, man! You have to, like, save them!”

Officer Smith sighed. “I wish I could, Shaggy. My sergeant has informed me not use weapons against the zombies since they are real citizens of Coolsville, but I know that the school is under attack, so I feel torn. I’m just here to make sure I can help the students who do escape – otherwise, I’m a bit powerless right now. We can’t risk using any additional man for this situation, because as it is, we’ve lost a few cops after we received different calls of zombie sightings.” Officer Smith sighed again. “I’m confused – I thought these zombie attacks would stop after we arrested the culprit this morning.”

The gang and I jumped, clearly startled by this new information. “You mean you know who is behind all of this??” Velma asked in disbelief. “But how is that possible? We aren’t even sure of who it could be yet!”

Officer Smith looked at Velma incredulously. “Velma, what are you talking about? We received your tip on our non-emergency line this morning regarding how the ice cream was implanted with microchips at Sherry’s diner. Once we heard that, and once we viewed video footage at Sherry’s diner showing that Fred and Daphne were accosted by some zombies in front of Sherry’s last night, it was enough to arrest Sherry. She’s currently behind bars as we speak, as a matter of fact. The microchip was the last bit of damning information we needed; truth be told, we wanted to arrest Sherry when we first heard that her ice cream may have been causing everyone to turn into zombies, but the sarg said that correlation wasn’t enough proof. Velma’s amazing discovery was instrumental in writing up an arrest warrant this morning.” Officer Smith paused and looked towards the building. “Look kids, I really have to get going. I think I am going to rush into that school and save who I can before it’s too late. You all need to get out of here now, and get as far away from Coolsville as possible.” And with that, he took off at a brisk run, racing into the school.

My mind struggled to wrap itself around this new information. I spun towards Velma, who looked just as shocked as we all did. “VELMA! What is wrong with you?! Why did you tell the police about the microchips?! That doesn’t necessarily mean that Sherry is the culprit; you said so yourself. Why did you tell them that she was the one who is behind all of this?”

Velma shook her head sadly. “Gang, I never called the police – you have to believe me! I’ve spent this entire morning locked up in the science lab, studying the microchips further. I never had time to call the police today, nor did I ever plan to do so! I would never place a call to the police regarding a suspect unless we had them secured and unmasked in one of Fred’s traps.”

“So Velma, if you didn’t call, and none of us called the cops, does that mean that somehow, someone not only knows you found the microchip, but they also called and reported Sherry as a possible way of framing the wrong person?” Fred asked, as the realization was starting to dawn on all of us.

Velma nodded solemnly. “I’m afraid that appears to be the case, Freddy. This mystery is becoming more and more intriguing – and horrifying – by the second.”

My heart sank as I recalled how poor Sherry had looked so melancholy when we first went to interview her days ago, and how she had lit up when we told her we were going to solve the mystery for her and her diner. As I grasped at the memory, I felt more convinced that Sherry was a huge victim in this whole mess, and felt myself growing angry towards anyone who would feel moved to frame Sherry when she was hurting just as badly as everyone else.

As I looked around at my friends and their forlorn faces, I could see that I wasn’t the only one feeling sympathetic for Sherry, as they all began frowning and shifting uncomfortably. Fred being the leader that he was stepped forward, and spun around to look us each in the eye as he spoke.

“All right gang, clearly the stakes just keep getting higher and higher here,” Fred said. “We need to get to that cabin and search for clues, asap; at this point, it’s our only hope.”


	14. Splitting Up

As Fred parked the Mystery Machine behind a group of trees several feet away from the cabin in order to conceal our arrival, I was all too aware of the fact that the thick, melancholy silence that was pressing upon the gang was a result of everything that had occurred within the past few hours. I was unable to forget the way our classmates had looked when the zombies attacked: the image of their wide, horrified eyes were burned into my mind, and my ears were still searing from the sounds of their shrill, petrified screams.

And worse yet, I was still shaken when I recalled the way I was helpless against the zombies as they had attempted to destroy me and Velma. I’ve solved hundreds of mysteries with the gang, and until now, I truly thought I knew fear; I thought I knew what fear tasted like, what fear smelled like, what fear felt like; but now, I knew that I didn’t truly realize what fear was until I was forced to stare into the glowing, blue beady eyes of the zombie as he clenched my neck and choked me slowly, to the point where I was close to passing out. Now I knew that fear tasted like gritty sandpaper in your throat as you coughed and begged the universe for just one more breath of fresh air; fear smelled like the metallic scent of fresh and old, crusted blood, as in your own blood and the blood that was encrusted on the zombies’ limbs and face and clothing; and fear felt like loneliness, an isolation similar to screaming into a black abyss, an abyss that was so isolating and so infinitely endless that you didn’t even hear your own voice echoing back at you.

Now that I knew how tangible and paralyzing fear could be, and now that I knew how easy it could be to lose any of my friends, for the first time ever, I began to question our chance of succeeding and capturing “the bad guy.” And judging from the unsettling silence that had spread throughout the van and descended over us, stifling as a heavy coat on a hot day, I think the gang agreed with me.

As if picking up on this, Fred jumped into his role as the leader again and spoke, turning to look at each of us in the eye as he did so. “All right, gang, listen up: I know this mystery hasn’t been easy. I know this day has already been incredibly hard and incredibly brutal, but we have to push on; remember, Sherry and the rest of Coolsville are depending on us to solve this mystery. If we don’t figure out who is behind all of this and make them reverse the microchips, then who will? We have to put an end to this asap, before anyone else is converted into a zombie, hurt by a zombie, or before another part of the town is attacked by zombies the way the school was attacked. To be honest, I’m not sure how strong of a lead this cabin is going to be and I’m not sure what we may or may not find, but for now, it’s our best hope. Let’s go inside, and solve a mystery!”

Velma and I nodded, already feeling invigorated; however, Shaggy and Scooby shook their heads, apparently requiring some additional convincing.

“Like, nuh-uh, noooo way man!” Shaggy shook his head slowly, and Scooby mirrored his actions. “There’s like, no way you can convince Scoob and I to go in there and chance seeing another one of them crazy zombies, not even for a million Scooby sna-“

But he was interrupted by Velma, who had produced two boxes of Scooby snacks and two bags of Dorritos from underneath the passenger seat of the Mystery Machine. Scooby and Shaggy both stood up and held out their hands eagerly, already drooling and forgetting about their fear of the zombies. _Typical_.

After Scooby and Shaggy inhaled their snacks in about two minutes flat, we filed out of the van and approached the cabin together. Luckily, we saw no sign of any truck or car to indicate that someone was inside, so that took care of our previous concern of being detected while searching for clues, and even luckier yet, as was the case with past mysteries, I was able to use a bobby pin to trick the lock on the front door into opening for us; so far, things seemed to be going smoother than earlier.

The gang and I stumbled into the entry of the cabin, our eyes sweeping over the room before us and taking in everything so we could start considering anything that was out of place or odd. However, just as the cabin looked normal and even peaceful on the outside, so far, the inside revealed much the same. We were standing in what appeared to be a living room, with two brown couches and one old, outdated mint colored couch, complete with floral decorative pillows to match the tacky, dated piece of furniture. Aside from the 70’s styled couch, everything else in the room gave off a cozy and welcoming vibe. The wall was covered with paintings, all various sizes, some larger and some smaller, but all very vibrant and colorful and abstract: it was hard not to gaze at one piece for too long without feeling entranced. The floor was covered in a cream colored carpet, and just as the outside of the cabin was clean, the carpet too appeared well-maintained despite its light appearance. The only area of the room that could have possibly yielded any sort of clues were the reading material stacked on the two glass tables bookending the mint colored couch. Velma quickly sensed this and walked towards the tables, shuffling through the magazines piled neatly on top of each other, but after a minute she looked at us and shrugged to indicate that she had found nothing that was out of the ordinary.

Fred scratched his head. “Boy, this sure is disappointing. I don’t get it: we followed those guys back to this place, and Sherry did say they were heading back to the factory. Is it possible that they live here and they were finished with their shift for the day, and we were wrong about this place being suspicious?”

“I mean, that may be possible,” I conceded. “But at the very least, why did they bring their work truck back here? Wouldn’t they have returned their van to the factory, and then taken their own car home if that were the case?” Things were beginning to look more and more mysterious.

Velma glanced towards the end other side of the living room, where a wooden staircase was located. “Well gang, don’t feel despair quite yet. It appears as though there are two floors in this cabin, so the potential for clues or something out of the ordinary still exists. Plus, I see from here there is a kitchen and possibly one other room still to search through on the ground floor. I propose that we split-up and see what we can find, especially since we want to save time before anyone can return and find us.”

“Good idea, Velma!” Fred nodded. “I think we should have Shag and Scoob search upstairs, and you, Daphne, and I can continue to look around down here.”

“Actually, Freddy, I think I will go with Shaggy and Scooby,” Velma replied. “I really would like to search upstairs with them; and besides, who knows if those two could lose their confidence at any minute and require additional snacks!”

I tensed up, nervous at the thought of being alone with Fred; we hadn’t been alone since we were attacked by the zombies in front of Sherry’s the other night. Fred never acknowledged what he wanted to say to me before we were interrupted, and I still wasn’t sure if things were normal between us since our collision in the hallway. Surely, Velma had to know all of this.

Fred opened his mouth as if he were about to respond, but Velma grabbed Shaggy and Scooby by the collar and dragged them to the staircase. “Come on you two scaredy cats, let’s go upstairs and search for clues! Fred and Daphne, we’ll meet you back downstairs in a little bit.” And as Velma darted up the stairs with the guys, I saw her turn back to look at me quickly, mouth the words, “I know my hypothesis is _still_ correct! Talk to him!” and smile at me smugly.

I shook my head, both amused and annoyed. I should have known Velma had ulterior motives up her sleeve.

As Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby disappeared out of our sight, Fred turned to me, smiling sheepishly; we were finally alone.

“Well, uh, I guess we should search through the kitchen now since we’ve pretty much finished looking through here,” Fred stammered. I could only nod in response, kicking myself as I followed him into the kitchen. I was feeling frustrated with my inability to speak to Fred again, even after he had just saved me from a flesh eating zombie hours ago. At the very least, shouldn’t I be thanking him? And when that zombie had me in his grasp, wasn’t I lamenting the fact that I had missed telling Fred how I felt about him?

We entered through the kitchen, and as was the case with the living room, the kitchen too seemed ordinary. Also as was the case with the living room, everything seemed cozy and modernized with the exception of one aspect of the room, and that being the outdated wall, which was covered with bright marigold patterned wallpaper. Otherwise, the countertop was marbled with black and grey, and the floor was a creamy tile, which complimented the brown mahogany dinner table. There wasn’t a single thing out of place or disorderly in the entire kitchen; the countertop was completely clear, the table had only one blue ceramic bowl filled with oranges located in the center, and there wasn’t a single trace of dust in the entire kitchen.

Fred whistled. “I’m not sure what to think of this place. Everything checks out – it appears completely ordinary, and even well-maintained. I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I’m disappointed. This leaves us with no additional leads.”

I sighed. “Poor Sherry. I was hoping we could find something to clear her name, but we’re coming up short. Maybe we were right to suspect her; after all, it wouldn’t be the first time someone we trusted could be the criminal mastermind.”

“I don’t know, Daphne.” Fred said. “For some reason, I feel like we can safely trust Sherry. Let’s keep looking around – maybe we can find something in a cabinet or a drawer. I guess not all criminals are stupid enough to leave the evidence just lying around in the open for everyone to see.”

Fred began to move around the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers and moving pots and pans to search for – well, for who knows what exactly. Not knowing what to do with myself, I stood awkwardly near the dishwasher; maybe now was the time to say something to Fred, while there was a lull in the mystery. Sure, it wasn’t ideal to confess my feelings for him here and now, in the middle of a mystery that was starting to go nowhere, as we searched an idyllic cabin for clues that we were starting to realize never even existed; but at this rate, what other choice did I have?

“Um, Fred,” I said, as he began to move towards the kitchen table, continuing to peek under the table for a clue that would hopefully materialize at any second. “Uh, there’s something I need to tell you.”

Fred paused for a moment, glancing back at me, as he swept his hands over the kitchen table. His eyes widened a bit, perhaps in fear? Or was I just imaging it?

“Uh, sure Daph, what is it you wanted to tell me?” He asked, glancing between me and the table. He eyed the ceramic bowl filled with oranges and began to reach for it. Apparently, he wasn’t going to make this easy.

“Well, there’s something I’ve been wondering, well, something I’ve even been meaning to tell you,” I began. “Uh, you see, for a long time now, I –“

Fred picked up the blue ceramic bowl and wrinkled his eyebrows together, eyeing the spot on the table where the bowl had previously been placed. He reached forward and touched the spot on the table he was eyeing and then looked at me, presumably to wait on what I was going to say, but I had stopped speaking because I felt the floor beneath me give away and disappear altogether. The cream colored tiles underneath my feet had slid open quietly, and I felt myself plummeting down a long, dark tunnel, with no end in sight.

As I slipped down the tunnel and followed its path, my body bumping along each ragged twist and turn, I screamed, “FREDDY!” hoping that he could hear me. Then, as suddenly as I had started sliding, my body flew from the mouth of the tunnel and I landed hard on my back, and in an instant, everything faded to black.


	15. Trapped

_I jolted upright, my body coated in a sheen of sweat and my breathing ragged as my lungs burned inside my chest. I looked around, trying to collect my bearings. The last thing I remembered was falling, falling, falling from the sky, and landing with a hard THUD against the pavement before blacking out. And now, I didn’t know where I was because all around me was thick, impenetrable darkness; I couldn’t even see my own hand right in front of my face._

_“H-h-hello?” I spoke, my voice quiet to even my own ears. “Is there anybody out there?”_

_Silence._

_I tried to stand on my feet, but my body felt paralyzed; I couldn’t move a muscle, and my legs felt numb._

_“Someone, anyone, please help me!” I called, raising my voice. But wherever I was must have been vast and open. Not only did I hear no sign of life, but I didn’t even hear my own voice returned back to me in the form of an echo bouncing along the wall. I shivered, partially because I felt cold, and partially due to the fear that was beginning to glaze over my body, tattooing my arm in goosebumps._

_And then, somewhere in the distance, about ten feet away from me, I saw two small, glowing blue orbs flicker in the darkness, ignited suddenly like the lighting of a torch. The orbs grew larger and larger, and it was then that I realized it was because it was drawing closer and closer towards me._

_I opened my mouth to scream, but my lips, like my arms and legs, were numb: I felt as though my mouth had been stitched together. I squirmed in an attempt to put some distance between myself and the approaching orbs, but I was completely frozen, as if I were bound and gagged by invisible ropes and chains._

_As the two orbs grew larger and larger, the outline of a figure began to materialize before my eyes. I could see that it was a human like shape, and he/she/it was moving slowly but steadily, as if with a purpose, and I realized that the orbs had to be the approaching figure’s eyes. And then, suddenly, the figure was looming before me, breathing heavily and moaning._

_“You…will…die…now…” rasped the deep, guttural voice standing before me._

_The voice – I know I recognize that voice, but there was no way…._

_Finally the muscles on my lips felt loosened and I screamed as the sound of the figure’s throaty, deep laughter splintered my eardrums, and then his laughter was drowned out by the sound of someone calling my name from up above, in the sky; a man with a comforting, familiar voice that was shot with anxiety and fear as he cried my name over and over and over again, imploring me to wake up, “DAPHNE, please wake up, Daphne, wake up, Daphne, can you hear me, Daphne, please, please wake up –“_

“Daphne!”

I jolted upright, my breathing choppy as I stifled a scream and glanced all around me, quickly processing my surroundings. Sitting beside me was Fred, who had his hands on my shoulders and was already drawing me towards him, pulling me into his chest and holding me tight.

“Oh my God Daph, are you okay?!” Fred asked, as I shook in his arms. “You fell down a trap door of some sort when we were exploring the kitchen in the cabin, and you passed out when you landed. I jumped down after you once I saw you fall in. I think the trap door opened up because I found a button underneath that fruit bowl on the table. I’m so sorry – this is all my fault!”

I let him hold me and comfort me for a minute as my breathing became regular again and as I processed everything he had just told me. So this meant that I was safe here with Fred, and whatever happened before this was a dream. I tried to recall the dream, snatching at the tail-end of the horrifying images I was trapped inside moments ago, but it was slipping through my fingers faster than sand. I couldn’t recall a single detail: all I could remember was that it had left me feeling paralyzed with fear.

I pulled away from Fred so I could look him in the eye. “I’m okay, Freddy – please don’t beat yourself up: this isn’t your fault. Thanks for coming after me, but now you’re stuck down here, too! I can’t believe you did that.”

Fred stood to his feet, grasping my hand and pulling me up with him. He looked at me and smiled. “Are you kidding, Daph? You know I would follow you anywhere, even if it meant danger.” I felt my cheeks redden, and he blushed, just slightly, but it was noticeable, before continuing, “Well, I will say that this is our first real clue, so in a way, maybe it’s good that we found this trap door. Where do you think we are right now? It looks to me like we’re in some kind of basement.”

We glanced around, studying our surroundings. The mouth of the tunnel was behind us, and all around us was darkness; somewhere in the distance I heard the sound of water dripping, and stretching before us was a long, narrow tunnel, with no end in sight.

Fred turned to me, smiling slightly. “Well, should we follow this tunnel? I guess this wouldn’t be the first time we’ve come across dark, foreboding tunnels that could lead to danger during a mystery.”

I nodded. “Yea, I guess we should see what we can find while we’re down here. My only concern is that we’ll meet a zombie somewhere down that tunnel.”

Fred’s smile dissolved; he was suddenly grave. “Yea, I hadn’t thought of that.” He glanced around again. “The only problem is the tunnel we just fell down seems to be our only exit, and it’s way too steep and dangerous to try and climb back up. I think if we have any chance of escaping, this tunnel is our best chance. Maybe we can find some clues down here, and we’ll find an exit, too. And so far, the cabin did seem safe enough, or at least the upstairs portion was. Maybe there aren’t any zombies inside of the cabin.”

And with that, Fred stepped in front of me and began walking towards the tunnel, turning back to make sure I was following him. “Are you coming?” he asked, somehow managing a smile on his face. I nodded, racing to catch up to him, latching onto his arm as we began walking down the tunnel.

We walked down the tunnel, Fred in the lead and me following behind closely as I clutched his arm, which seemed to be a given for us during an intense or scary moment of any mystery. Unlike upstairs, down here the cabin felt dark and dirty; the air was sticky and humid, the walls looked grimy and wet, and I could still hear the consistent sound of water dripping somewhere in the distance. If I hadn’t known better, I would have guessed we were trapped in a sewer, and not the basement of a cute little cabin tucked away in the woods.

After a couple minutes of walking, the tunnel ended with two doors; one was on the right side of the tunnel; the other, on the left. Fred and I looked at each other, exchanging a wordless look expression. He reached out and tried opening the door on the left, but it didn’t even budge. I removed the bobby pin from my hair that I had used to open the front door of the cabin earlier, but even that was to no avail.

We exchanged another look as we began to realize that our hopes for an exit were resting on the chance that the other door was unlocked. Fred took a deep breath, reached out, twisted the doorknob – and pushed the other door open. We both sighed out of relief, not realizing that we had temporarily been holding our breaths in anticipation.

We stepped into the room, immediately hit by a wave of cold air. I shivered and stepped into the room with Fred, letting the door shut behind me.

“W-w-where are we?” I asked through chattering teeth.

Our eyes swept the room, taking in the sight before us. Stepping out of the tunnel and into this room was like stepping into a totally different world; instead of dark, humid, grimy hallways, we were now in a crisp, bright white room. Everything about this room was shockingly white: the walls, the floors, and the dozens and dozens of barrels that were lined up throughout the entire room. And the temperature inside this room felt as cold as a snowy January evening; no matter how much I rubbed my arms against my arms, there was no way of feeling warm, and I could have sworn that I saw my own breath fogging up before me when I breathed.

Fred stepped towards a barrel, examining the words plastered on in big, bold blue letters on the side. “Hey Daph, I think we just found the motherload of all clues!” he exclaimed. “Get a look at this!”

I stepped towards where he was pointing, and gasped; the blue letters plastered on each of the white barrels read, “CAUTION – MICROCHIPS.”

“Oh. My. God.” I breathed in between each shiver, crossing my arms across my chest in an effort to warm up. “Do – do you think this could be…”

I left my question unfinished as Fred moved to open the lid on the barrel, succeeding after a minimal struggle. When the lid was removed we moved in close and gasped at the sight of what appeared to be thousands of blue, miniscule sized little chips packed together tightly in the barrel.

“That has to be the microchips Velma found!” I exclaimed, my breath fogging up before me as I spoke quickly and excitedly. “She said they’re normally naked to the human eye – do you think we can see them since there are so many packed inside this barrel?”

Fred shook his head in awe and surprise. “I don’t know, Daph – that would make sense. I can’t believe we found this!” He rubbed his hands against his arms, presumably in an attempt to feel some warmth, as well. “What I want to know is why it’s so cold in this room! Is there a thermostat in here somewhere?”

We glanced around the room, and I found a white thermostat blending in against the sterile white wall on the other side of the room. “Jeepers Freddy, it says that it’s 30 degrees in here – that is just below freezing temperature!” I tried navigating the dial on the thermostat, but it remained locked at 30 degrees. The thermostat must have been broken – unless someone wanted it to stay at a specific temperature for a specific reason…

I gasped as a thought began to bloom within my mind. “Hey Freddy – do you think that whoever is keeping the microchips down here is keeping the temperature this cold because the microchips need to be kept at a certain temperature? I mean, think about it – why else are they being implanted in Sherry’s ice cream! Ice cream needs to remain at a certain temperature at all times, and maybe the microchips do, too. I bet that is why they are targeting Sherry’s diner!”

Fred’s eyes widened. “Daph, you’re a genius! We just cracked this case wide open. Now we have to figure out who is behind all of this, and get them to reverse these chips. I can’t believe we found this!” He shivered, visibly bothered by the freezing temperatures. “Okay, let’s get out of this room and see if there is another way out of this basement, even if it means trying to climb out of the tunnel we fell down. Or maybe Velma and Shaggy and Scooby are looking for us, and we can yell for them, and they can throw us a rope and pull us out. Either way, I need to get out of this room before I freeze my butt off!”

We strode towards the exit, smiles spreading on our faces. I was feeling really pleased; the mystery, which had seemed so hopeless and bleak earlier, was starting to unravel, bit by bit. Maybe things were looking up after all; maybe we could actually solve this –

Fred grasped the doorknob, pulling it and twisting it – but it refused to budge. As the minutes dragged by, he began tugging at it more and more frantically.

“Uh, Daph,” Fred said slowly. “I hate to even say this, but I think the door is only unlocked from the outside of the room, and it locked when we closed it behind us…I can’t get it to open.”

My breath hitched in my throat. Fred began pounding on the door, screaming and calling out for help, and then he began ramming into the door, tackling it and throwing all his weight against it in an effort to break the hinges. But the door didn’t whine or budge in reaction to his attempts.

Fred turned to me, his eyes widening and his face paling, as the realization was beginning to dawn on us both slowly: we were trapped, inside this room filled with barrels of the microchips, while our friends had no idea we were lost in the basement and locked inside this isolated room.

And worst of all, if we didn’t get out of here soon, we were literally going to freeze to death in here.


	16. Tell Me Something True

Fred stood in the middle of the room, staring at the door, his eyes unblinking, before he took off running, full speed, and threw his body against the door, over and over and over again, but it refused to budge. After numerous failed attempts, he continued pounding his fists against the door and screaming,

“HELP! SHAGGY, VELMA, SCOOBY! CAN YOU GUYS HEAR ME? WE’RE TRAPPED DOWN HERE! HEEEELLLLLPPPP!”

I shook my head sadly and placed a hand on Fred’s shoulder. “Freddy, I know you’ve been trying your best to get us out, but you’re going to hurt yourself or wear yourself out for no reason: it looks like we’re really trapped in here!”

Fred sighed, clearly frustrated. “But what am I supposed to do, Daphne? We’re trapped in this room, and it’s literally freezing in here! What other options do we have?”

I shrugged, feeling equally as frustrated – and worried. While I knew that Fred was only trying to save us, it was growing increasingly apparent that this door wasn’t going to be opening without a key. “I think we just have to wait until someone finds us down here, even if it’s those sketchy men. I mean, the microchips are down here, so I imagine that soon enough someone will have to come down here and replenish their stock, right?”

Fred began pacing in the middle of the room, rubbing his hands along his arms as he did so in an effort to feel warm. “I mean, I’m sure you’re right and someone will have to be down here soon, Daph, but I’m worried. We have no real way of keeping warm in this freezing room, and if someone doesn’t check on us soon, we’ll get sick, or worse…” His voice trailed off, not wanting to voice what exactly he meant by “or worse,” but I knew what he was implying: we both knew what he was implying.

“I know, Freddy,” I said gravely, watching him nervously as he continued pacing and glaring towards the door. “For now, let’s just try and stay as warm as possible, and hope that help comes, soon. Velma told us she would meet us within 20 minutes. We were due to regroup quite a bit ago, so they should have noticed that we went missing by now, and they should be looking for us. This cabin isn’t too big. Maybe they’ll find the trap door and come down here, and we can listen for them, and tell them we’re trapped.”

I could see by the panic settling in Fred’s eyes that he wasn’t crazy about my suggestion since it entailed no action and a lot of waiting around, but his shoulders relaxed as it began to dawn on him that we were limited on options. “Okay,” he conceded. “For now, we can wait and see if Velma and Shaggy and Scooby find us. You’re right – they should see that we are missing by now. Velma is smart and Shaggy and Scooby are resourceful, so I’m sure they’ll be down here in a few minutes.” But it was evident Fred was saying all of this for my benefit. He continued to pace back and forth in the middle of the room, rubbing his hands together to create some friction, and casting nervous glances towards the door.

I sighed as I watched Fred. It was evident that he was feeling anxious, but I wasn’t sure what more I could say or do to comfort him. I located a spot in the room that wasn’t overcrowded with barrels filled with microchips and sat on the ground, my back leaning against the wall. I tried to pretend I was feeling warm, but it wasn’t working; I shivered, wrapping my arms across my chest. As I glanced down at my hands, I could already see that the tips of my fingernails were turning a light blue. I gulped nervously, trying to shove away the frantic voice in my head telling me that I was going to die, slowly and painfully and coldly.

Suddenly, Fred stood over me, and he was slipping his jacket off his body and passing it to me. “Daph, you’re freezing – take this. You’re wearing a t-shirt, so you need to keep warm.”

I shook my head vehemently. “Fred Jones, I am absolutely not taking your jacket! You need to stay warm, too! And besides, now you’re the one who’s only wearing a t-shirt!”  
It was true. Fred stood before me, in a crisp white short sleeved shirt. I know I shouldn’t have been surprised at Fred’s selfless gesture, but my conscience would never allow me to accept his jacket if it meant he would be even colder now because of me.

Sensing that I wasn’t going to accept the jacket that easily, Fred stooped down in front of me and draped the jacket around my shoulders. I tried to shrug it away in protest, but Fred only laughed. “Come on, Daph, seriously, just take my jacket. Hopefully someone will be down here in a minute, and I’m not going to let you freeze while we wait.”

Knowing that it was futile to argue further, I couldn’t help but smile as I stuck my arms into the jacket and felt myself cloaked in this new layer of subtle warmth. “But Freddy, how are you going to stay warm now? That’s really nice of you to offer me your jacket, but I don’t want you to freeze!”

“I’ll be fine, Daph,” Fred insisted with a smile. “I’ve been pacing and moving around, so I’ll regulate some body heat that way. Just keep the jacket until Velma, Shag, and Scoob find us!” And with that, he gave me a smile before standing and pacing the room again. But this time, as he paced, I noticed he was rubbing his hands against his arms more frequently, and more vigorously, as if he were struggling to stay warm.

As Fred continued pacing and I sat against the wall, we waited in silence, occasionally glancing at the door or holding our breaths to listen for voices in the tunnel outside. Soon, I felt myself shivering again. Even though Fred had given me his jacket, it was so cold inside the room that it felt as though it made no difference.

Fred glanced at his watch. “We’ve already been trapped down here for an hour, and still no sign of Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby.”

I trembled, partially out of fear, and partially because of the cold. “Freddy, I’m worried – do you think something bad might have happened to them?”

“No, of course not!” Fred said. He smiled, but it seemed forced. “I’m sure Shag and Scoob are just spending too much time in the kitchen, as always. I bet we will see them soon!” I could see his breath fogging up before him, wafting in front of his face as he spoke. It was a stark reminder of just how cold this room really was, and I shuddered.

I sighed. “Oh, Freddy, wh-what if-if-if they don’t find the-the t-t-trap door?” I asked, my teeth chattering from the cold as I spoke. “I’m starting to feel really worried.”

Fred walked over to where I was sitting and sat down next to me, mirroring how I sat, with his back resting against the wall, too. “Daph, listen to me – I promise, no matter what happens, if we don’t hear from them soon, I am going to get us out of here. I’m not as worried about being trapped, but right now, I am worried about us freezing. It’s so cold down here, and I can tell my jacket isn’t working as well for you as it was earlier.”

I wanted to protest and insist that I was fine, but I knew there was no point in lying. It was evident that the room was so cold that there was only so much we could do to move around or layer up to stay warm.

Fred suddenly became quiet, shifting uncomfortably next to me; I could tell he was thinking something, but I wasn’t sure what.

“Freddy, what’s on your mind?” I asked, worried.

Fred’s cheeks turned several shades of red. “Well, this is completely up to you, and I wouldn’t ever want to suggest anything to make you uncomfortable, but, er, we may be able to warm up by, uh, well, sitting close together for warmth,” he stammered, saying the rest of his sentence in a rush. “But, uh, like I said, I really don’t want to do anything to make you uncomfortable!”

I felt my cheeks turning red, and I was certain that I had to be blushing now, too. I could almost hear Velma’s voice echoing in my head, and I could picture her saying with a smile, _“My hypothesis, Daph! My hypothesis!”_ But I shrugged that off; Fred was right, it would make sense to huddle together in an effort to share some body heat. After all, two people in a platonic relationship who were stuck in desperate, life or death situations like this cuddled together for warmth all the time, right?

As Fred continued to stammer, I smiled, and quietly slipped my arms out of his jacket, draping it around both of our shoulders like a blanket. Then, I quickly hooked my arm around his torso and pulled him towards me, and kept both my arms wrapped around his chest. Fred stopped speaking and smiled slowly, realizing that I had quietly consented to his offer. He draped his right arm around my shoulders and drew me close against his side. Keeping my arms wrapped around his chest, I rested my head against his shoulder and sighed contentedly. I could feel the heat radiating from his body as my stomach tingled and his breathing became noticeably quicker.

We were both quiet for a minute, not sure what to say to each other now that we were tangled together. My mind was spinning so quickly that I struggled to keep up with my thoughts. _What a weird twist my life has taken,_ I thought. _A couple days ago I freaked out when Fred and I just brushed together on accident in the hallway at school, and now we’re trapped in a freezing room, huddling together to stay warm. Just wait until I tell Velma!_

As the silence between us grew, I hoped that Fred couldn’t hear my heart beating, but it was pounding so hard, I thought that surely he could hear it reverberating throughout the room. The physical contact made me feel the same as when we had collided just weeks ago: everything inside of me felt like it was sparking and electric, as if live wires had replaced the veins in my arms. I couldn’t help but wonder if part of the reason as to why Fred had proposed this was to purposefully try and get closer together, but dismissed the thought altogether. He was right, after all: pressing our bodies together for warmth was working, as I was feeling warmer already.

Fred coughed; I could feel his chest rising and falling beneath my arms. “Well, uh, what now?” He asked.

Although his question was vague and ambiguous, I knew what Fred was really asking was what were we going to do now as we waited for help to arrive. We had already been waiting for at least an hour, and it was becoming more apparent that neither of us wanted to pass another hour in silence. 

_Well,_ I thought, _It isn’t like we aren’t going anywhere for a while. Maybe now would be the best opportunity to say something to him about how I feel…_

Instead, I looked up at him, his face so close to my own, and felt my resolve faltering. I opened my mouth to speak, and without thinking I blurted out, “Tell me something true.”

Fred looked at me, a question in his eyes. I couldn’t blame him; I wasn’t totally sure what I meant myself.

“Something true?” Fred echoed, laughing softly. “Well, it’s true that it’s freezing in here!”

I laughed in response to his answer. “No, something true…about yourself.” I surprised myself with my own explanation. When I asked him to tell me something true, I myself had little inclination of what I had in mind. “I guess I just figure that we’ve been friends for so long, and we solve so many mysteries together, but we don’t always get to talk about superficial stuff or just hang out because we’re always so busy. So, tell me something about yourself that no one else knows.”

Fred scrunched his eyebrows together, as if he were lost in thought. His eyes were twinkling, so I knew he wasn’t totally opposed to the idea. “Daph, to be honest, I really feel like you and the gang really know me, sometimes better than I know myself. Plus, I’m really not that interesting of a person.”

“Oh Fred, you know that isn’t true!” I exclaimed. “Come on, humor me here. It’ll make the time go by faster, and maybe we’ll even surprise each other. If it makes you feel less nervous, I’ll go first. Let’s see…” I paused, thinking of something that was significant enough to share. Fred watched me, a smile on his face.

“Okay,” I finally said. “So for instance, something true about myself that hardly anyone else knows is that I made my own clothing awhile back.”

Fred laughed. “You made your own clothes?! But how? I thought you bought everything you owned from the mall!”

I smiled, glad to see Fred warming up to this unconventional game I had proposed. “Technically, yes. But during freshman and sophomore year, sometimes I bought stuff and added my own touch to it, like stitching a logo for my favorite band on the back of a jean jacket. The only other person who knew was Velma; I guess I was too embarrassed to let people see my work.”

Fred smiled, but didn’t say anything. I could tell that he was amused by my admission.

“And another true thing that people don’t know about me,” I said, my heart quickening as the words tumbled out of me in a rush, “Is that after high school, I really want to be a journalist. My parents think I’m taking over my dad’s business, which I guess would be smart because it’s growing and really profitable and the source of my parents’ wealth, but I am not interested at all. I love writing, and I love the idea of being a reporter or a news anchor, and I love the idea of telling a story, a real one, one that directly impacts the people who read or watch it. I don’t want to give that dream up, just as much as I wouldn’t want to give up mystery solving.”

To be honest, I think when I had proposed this game of truth telling, I had subconsciously thought it would be an easy way to confess my feelings to Fred, but somewhere along the line, this admission seemed a little easier, albeit not much. But still, I had shocked myself by saying this. I hadn’t even allowed myself in to indulge in this confession privately, in my own mind, because it had seemed too daunting, too likely to hurt my parents if this were to ever come to light. Not even Velma knew about my secret yearning to be a journalist.

Fred was silent as I spoke, and after I stopped, he didn’t say anything, but I knew that he was listening to me. I could feel his chest rising and falling underneath my arms, and his breathing had quickened at my admission.

Finally, the arm that was wrapped around my shoulders gave me a light squeeze, and he said, very softly, “I think you would be a great journalist, Daphne. I hope you don’t let your parents hold you back, but even if they tried, I would always be here to support you.”

I sighed, relieved, and tightened my embrace around Fred’s chest, giving him a quick hug. “Thanks, Freddy. Sorry, I didn’t mean to get so deep and so personal. I guess I’ve been carrying that around for a while, and it’s really been weighing on my mind.”

Fred sighed. “Well, since you opened up about yourself, I’ll tell you that something true about me is that I don’t even know what I want to do after school ends, so I’m envious of you for knowing what kind of career you want. I think everyone expects me to earn a football scholarship and go away to college, but I know realistically that football won’t be there for me for forever. Plus, my grades are okay, but they’re definitely only average, at best.”

Fred paused, but I didn’t say anything, not wanting to end this moment of vulnerability, so he continued, “To be honest, some days I wish we could all just be in high school for forever, solving mysteries and hanging out at Sherry’s diner afterwards. I really just don’t want to stop solving mysteries.”

My heart tightened in my chest as Fred spoke. Deep down, I had always suspected that he had struggled with school and with the decision to go away to college. Whenever Velma and Shaggy spoke excitedly about their post high school plans (Velma was already receiving numerous scholarships from ivy league schools all over the country, and Shaggy, unsurprisingly, had his sights set on culinary school), Fred was always noticeably silent, and would laugh uncomfortably, offering up generic answers such as, “I’ll go to whichever college offers me the most money!” I think we had all secretly known Fred was apprehensive about his life after graduation, but hearing Freddy vocalize all of this was heartbreaking.

I gazed up at Fred, who had a distant look in his eyes as he allowed his thoughts to consume him. I squeezed his chest, hugging him again, and he squeezed my shoulders in return, remaining silent.

“Freddy,” I finally said, quietly. “You know, if you don’t want to stop solving mysteries, you don’t have to. I think even in college we could all make it work somehow; after all, we’re Mystery Inc!”

Fred sighed. “Honestly, Daph, lately I’m not so sure that I’m even good at mystery solving anymore. You see, another thing that’s true about me is that I’m crappy leader. I mean, look where we are right now! We’re trapped in the middle of this freezing room, trying to huddle together for warmth. I promised I could get us out and that I would keep you safe, and I failed miserably. I know I’ve been trying to tell you that everything is okay and that I’m not worried about Velma and Shaggy finding us, but deep down, I’m terrified. And now we’re stuck waiting here until someone opens the door, and we have no idea when that will even happen!”

“Fred Jones!” I said. “Don’t be so ridiculous! It is NOT true that you are a crappy leader. Every day, you keep us all safe, and you have the best traps! I know right now the situation doesn’t look so good, but if anything, it’s my fault that we’re down here because I fell down a trap door, as usual! But we can’t be so negative right now; we can’t afford to be. I know someone will be here to help us soon!”

My words didn’t seem to register with Fred. He remained silent, and then he opened his mouth to speak again.

“Honestly, this whole mystery has me freaked,” he said with a sigh. “I’ve seen a lot of things in my life and we’ve had a lot of scares during our mysteries over the years, but I don’t think I’ve ever been as scared as earlier today, when I ran into the school and saw that zombie trying to suffocate you in the hallway. Whenever I close my eyes, I can see how still you looked when the zombie was strangling you, and I was afraid that this time, I was a minute too late. I would never forgive myself if something happened to you during a mystery; you’re my best friend,” Fred admitted softly.

I could feel myself melting as Fred spoke. _Oh my God,_ I thought. _Did he just call me his best friend?!_

“And honestly,” he continued. “I am always worried that someone in the gang is going to get hurt on my watch during a mystery. I’ve always felt touched that you guys look to me as the leader, but sometimes, the pressure feels so unreal. I’m just waiting for the day that you guys unmask me as a fraud, similarly to how we unmask all of these other creeps in masks.”

I could feel Fred’s heart beating quickly under his shirt as my arms continued to hold him tight as he spoke. When he was finished, he sighed, as if he had been holding this all in for a long time, which knowing Freddy, he had been.

I lifted my head from Fred’s chest and looked him in the eyes. “Fred, look at me,” I said slowly but clearly, looking into his eyes as I spoke. I wanted to make sure he knew and believed everything I was about to tell him. “First of all, I never did get to thank you for saving me earlier. What you did was incredibly brave; you risked your life and fought off a zombie just so you could save me! It’s not every day you have to fight off real life zombies, so that isn’t exactly a small feat. And, whether you believe it or not, you do keep all of us safe every day, with each passing mystery. You constantly put yourself at risk when one of us is in danger, and your traps are always what help us catch the bad guy in the end. And I know this wasn’t easy for you to admit that you are scared and afraid, but you need to open up to us, too.”

I continued, “And Fred, don’t think that you can’t talk to any of us or me about any of this, because I don’t want you to walk around feeling like you’re insignificant or like you aren’t doing a good job, okay? You’ve been doing such a great job taking care of everyone around you, and you’re so worried about everyone else and you are always putting everyone’s safety and needs before your own, but I don’t want you to feel like there isn’t anyone out there who is worried about you, Fred. But guess what? I’m going to be the one who’s always worried about you, because you’re my best friend, and that’s my job; I get to worry about you, Fred. So I wish you wouldn’t be so hard on yourself, because you’re an amazing leader.”

Beneath my arms, Fred went still, and his face looked serious as I spoke. His eyes were inscrutable, and I shivered, in part because I had just noticed how cold the room was despite how our bodies were tangled together, and in part because of how exposed I had felt over the past few minutes.

Finally, Fred spoke, whispering, “Okay.” 

“Okay?” I echoed. “Are you sure you’re okay? I’m sorry, I wasn’t expecting all of this to happen when I suggested that we talk, really I wasn’t –“

“No Daph, really,” Fred assured me softly, giving my shoulder a quick squeeze. “Thanks for everything. In a way, I’m kind of glad we’re trapped down here now,” he said, smiling.

We were quiet for some time after that. My arms were still wrapped around his torso, and Fred’s arms were still draped around my shoulder, but I had moved my head to his chest and I could hear his heart beating in the silence. Part of my mind was replaying our conversation, dwelling on when he called me his best friend, and marveling at how I had reciprocated – and did I really tell him _I get to worry about you, oh my God, Velma is gonna freak –_ and the other part of me was focused on his warm, soft body as I sat curled against him. I couldn’t believe how just sitting entwined like this with him had such a profound effect on my cardiovascular system; my heart never slowed its pace, and I never felt completely relaxed, even though I did feel incredibly safe in Fred’s arms in spite of our current situation. I had dated guys casually in the past, but I had never spent this long curled up beside someone; it felt like such an intimate gesture. And even though we were now sitting together in a silence that wasn’t exactly uncomfortable, my emotions felt even more intense because we weren’t speaking. But I knew that Fred was thinking and feeling the same way I did. I could feel it in the way his heart had quickened in his chest, and the way his body shifted subtly, squirming against the wall.

Or maybe he was squirming because his back was stiff: I suddenly noticed that my own back was aching from sitting on the ground for so long. I tried not to squirm, not wanting this moment to end, but I wriggled and arched my back in Fred’s arms, shivering as I noticed that my arms were covered in goosebumps.

Fred glanced at me as I moved around in his arms. “You okay, Daph?”

I nodded, suddenly feeling shy in spite of making myself so vulnerable only moments ago.

“Here, let’s try something else,” Fred said, and then I felt him slowly moving as he detangled his arms from around me and removed the jacket around from our shoulders. I watched as he slid against the wall and laid on the ground, resting on his right side. I wasn’t sure where this was going, but then he tugged me down next to him, and I laid on my left side, facing him. Fred draped his jacket so that it covered our torsos like a blanket, and he drew me tight against him, curling his left arm around my chest and resting the right arm beneath my cheek, like a pillow. In return, I wrapped both my arms wrapped around his torso, and I pressed myself against his chest so that our bodies were fused together. I felt one of his feet brush against my own, and I slid my foot back against his, keeping my right leg rested on top of his leg so that we were fully intertwined, all arms and legs overlapping together so that if someone were to walk in, you wouldn’t be able to tell where his body started and mine ended.

“Is this okay?” he asked, his voice soft and buttery. I nodded, too overwhelmed to speak. If sitting curled against him made me feel like I was melting, I was liquefied now; my veins were searing with an explosive heat and my mind felt as though it were crackling with static. I pressed my nose against his chest, breathing him in; as when we had run into each other, he smelled warm and spicy.

The feeling of being this close to Fred, of literally being entwined with him and feeling his body as though it were soldered against my own, was unlike anything I had ever imagined; it was incredible. His arms felt strong and warm as they were wrapped around me, and I had never felt as safe as I did now, with his arms enveloping me and his soft, muscular chest pressing against my own. And I understood it now; I understood why people in romantic comedies or love stories had that goofy smile stretched across their face when they were laying with someone in bed, because lying here with Fred, in spite of all the zombies and sketchy truck drivers and the microchips, was unexplainable; it was soothing and exhilarating and amazing, all at once. And best of all, I could feel my chest expanding with warmth, as if the freezing cold air couldn’t penetrate us while we laid intertwined together like this.

Even though we were resting on the cold, hard ground, I stifled a yawn; my body was feeling heavy with sleep as a result of everything we had gone through that day, and resting against Fred felt so relaxing. My eyes were slowly closing, and when I looked at Fred’s face, his eyes were blinking and fighting off sleep, too. When he saw me looking at him, he smiled, and pressed his forehead against my own before he pulled away and sleepily, ever so softly, planted a kiss on my forehead.

I felt myself melting, as if all my senses had merged, but I was feeling so comfortable and sleepy wrapped around Fred, and my eyes were drooping, feeling heavier and heavier. I was growing frustrated with myself and willed my eyes to open. I wanted to remain in this moment forever and commit to memory how Fred’s soft body felt against my own, and remember the way his arms held me so tight, and admire his eyes, so deep and so blue like crystal clear water. I had a feeling, or a fear, that this was never going to happen again, and if Fred didn’t feel the same way I was, it was going to ruin our friendship, and ultimately my life, so I wanted to keep my eyes open for forever so that I could prove to myself that yes, this had indeed happened, and I wasn’t imagining it. But I was so tired, and his body was so warm, and so soft, and nobody had ever made me feel so safe and so happy before…

As my eyes closed and my vision grew darker and I felt myself drifting off into a peaceful sleep, in the distance, I felt Fred run his hands through my hair slowly and tenderly, and I could have sworn I heard him whisper softly into my ear, “There’s one other thing that’s true about me, that no one else knows; I broke up with Shaina because I’m in love with someone else.”


	17. A Messy Escape

_My eyes slid open slowly, and I jumped, stunned as I took in my pitch black surroundings. My head was throbbing in pain, and I struggled to remember how I had I gotten here. I made an effort to raise my head so that I could look around for some sort of clue as to where I was but my head felt too heavy, as if it weighed a thousand pounds. Then, I realized that I was laying on my side, and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t move a single muscle. I could feel the sweat beading on my forehead as I struggled to move, but despite the effort, I was frozen in place: even my mouth couldn’t open to utter a scream._

_Then I saw it; two round, blue glowing orbs suddenly loomed above me, observing me coldly. When I saw the outline of a man and heard the same raspy, guttural laugh, my arms were crawling in goosebumps._ Déjà vu – _I had been here before._

_As if he could read my mind, the figure laughed, and said, “Oh, Daphne, it is so good to see you again. It’s as though you never left. But now that you’re back, please don’t ever leave me like that again!”_

_That voice…it sounded warped and distorted and different from the way it normally sounded, but yet, it was still familiar…I knew that voice from somewhere…._

_The figure reached towards me, its fist raised above its head and its beady eyes narrowed into a glare. “Now, you will DIE!” The figure exclaimed, raising its fist towards me, and I knew this figure was going to blot me out of existence with its fist and kill me, and yet all I could focus on was struggling but failing to move, and then as the fist descended upon me closer and closer, I realized that I did know that voice, because it belongs to –_

My body jolted, and I was suddenly awake, my breathing rapid as I recovered from my nightmare. Instantly, I was hyper-aware of the soft body pressed against my own, the left arm curled over my chest casually and protectively, the right arm still cradling my face like a pillow, and the warm scrape of the chin resting against my forehead.

_Fred._

Everything flooded back to me in an instant; I recalled the way we were trapped downstairs in the cabin, locked away in a room that was freezing because it was preserving microchips, the way Fred had suggested huddling together for warmth, the way I moved towards him and obliged, the way we talked and opened up to each other, the way we eventually laid on the ground and became intertwined…

_We must have fallen asleep at some point,_ I mused, watching Fred’s face. Somehow, when I woke, startled from my nightmare, I hadn’t disturbed or waken him; his eyes were closed, and his breathing was slow and steady as he slept. His jacket was still draped over us like a blanket, and despite how cold it was in the room, my body felt warm from being interlaced with Fred’s body.

I closed my eyes, attempting to recall the nightmare that had just awaken me. As with earlier, I could remember feeling absolute terror upon waking, my heart pounding in my chest and my breathing accelerated as though I had just run a marathon, but I had no recollection of the dream now that I was awake. As I tugged and pulled at the edge of the dream as it slipped from my mind, all I could remember was the faintest inclination that I have had that particular nightmare multiple times now. I sighed, frustrated but hopeful that the nightmares were behind me now.

Disoriented and feeling as though I had just lost a lot of time, I stole a glance at the watch wrapped around Fred’s wrist; it was 6:30 AM. My eyes widened as I realized that meant we had accidently slept down here overnight; in other words, we had been trapped down here for hours already, with no sign of help arriving anytime soon.

_Where is Velma and Shaggy and Scooby?_ I wondered, as I felt Fred’s chest rise and fall against mine as he breathed softly in his sleep. _Why haven’t they come looking for us yet?_

Maybe the rest of the gang was frustrated with us, and wondering where we were right in this same exact moment; after all, we had agreed to meet back up after only 20 minutes, and now here we were about 12 hours later. What were we going to tell the others when we all met up again? I could picture it now: Velma would note the way my cheeks would inevitably blush when they would question our whereabouts for the past several hours, and maybe she would note the way my hair looked disheveled after having slept on it overnight. I pictured her pulling me aside from the rest of the gang, her eyes asking me a silent question, _What happened between the two of you guys the past few hours?!_ and the way I would look at her and confirm to her, quietly, just three words, a smile playing across my face, _We slept together._ I could picture the way her mouth would drop open and she would squeal, and jumping up and down with excitement, she would grab my shoulders and say, _Oh my gosh, tell me all about it, what was it –_ and before she could even finish her question, I would cut her off: _We_ did _sleep together, but not like_ that – _nothing happened._

And initially, it would sound deceitful, but after all, wasn’t it true? Yes, of course it was true; I had just spent the night with a boy. _Slept_ with him, or rather next to him, curled up and relaxed against him, as if we did this all the time. And never mind that that was all we had done (we didn’t even kiss!), because this was a huge deal; this wasn’t just any average guy, this was Fred Jones, my best friend who I just happened to have feelings for since as long as I could remember. So yes, of course it was true; we _slept_ together, lying on this cold tiled ground of this sketchy, dingy, freezing room surrounded by thousands of mind altering microchips as miles away from here, zombies raged away and feasted on human flesh. And it was amazing, and warm and tangly, and even though it may not initially seem like it, it was also wholesome, and sweet, and innocent.

Even though nothing physical had occurred between us, this simple act of holding each other while we slept felt more intimate than anything I could have ever imagined. How many rom-coms had I seen that depicted two people talking and laughing together in soft tones as they laid in bed, tangled together like Cherise cats? Again, these movies made sense to me now, because now I saw that this simple act of sleeping in each other’s arms wasn’t actually so simplistic at all; it was vulnerable, personal, intimate. I couldn’t imagine how amazing it would feel to end each day in Fred’s arms, and waking up each morning still folded together, still literally wrapped up in this sense of safety and security.

For now, I wasn’t sure what I should do next. I was too awake and too conscious of laying so close against Fred, so falling asleep again wasn’t an option. I thought about waking him up so that we could determine what to do next, but part of me was afraid of his reaction when he woke up and discovered that we were still tangled together. What if this was a moment of weakness for him, and this morning would bring him clarity that this was some sort of mistake? I couldn’t even bring myself to imagine the look of regret in his eyes that I might see if I were to wake him now; no, let him wake up on his own, naturally, and maybe I could feign sleep and gauge his initial reaction so I could adjust my feelings, and soothe (and hide) any hurt accordingly.

I decided that if Fred woke up and decided this was a mistake and it was indeed going to simultaneously be the first and last time that we could be together like this, I would savor the moment while I had the chance. I burrowed my face into Fred’s chest, breathing him in with a smile. Fred’s chin was still rested against my forehead and his arms were still wrapped tight around me, and I imagined this was what pure bliss felt like. Occasionally, I would watch him as he slept; he looked so still and content, his face twitching only occasionally as he dreamed.

I was enjoying the feeling of melting against Fred’s body, and I felt so relaxed that I even feel myself slowly drifting back to sleep when I heard it –

Voices in the corridor outside the room.

As if on cue, Fred and I both snapped our eyes open at the same exact moment at the sound of two men talking in clipped, loud voices. I couldn’t make out what they were saying, but from the way their voices echoed, it sounded as though they were walking through the tunnel, and they were getting closer to the room we were trapped within.

Fred and I both jumped away from each other quickly, standing on our feet as his jacket fell to the ground as it slipped off of us. The voices were so close to the door now that I could decipher each individual word in the conversation.

“I tell ya Frank, we don’t get paid enough for this job,” one man grunted. “We’ve been searchin’ for these damned kids for the past hour, and still no sign of ‘em! When I find them, they better start prayin’ for mercy because my patience has officially run out!”

“Well, this cabin isn’t that big, Tony,” replied the other voice, this one deeper and raspier. “They can’t hide from us for forever; they’re bound to turn up sooner or later. Now hurry up and get this here door open; I wanna eat some breakfast. We’ve gotta big day ahead of us!”

I heard the sound of a key sliding into a lock, and the door knob began to rattle and shake, but the door still didn’t open. As the men continued to curse and speak outside the doorway, Fred grabbed my arm and lead me to a spot in the corner that contained a cluster of barrels.

“We need to hide!” he said, whispering frantically. “And there aren’t many places to hide in here, so I think we need to split up; I don’t think these barrels are wide enough to keep us both hidden from their view. This corner has more barrels, so you crawl behind there and just keep quiet. It sounds like they have no reason to believe we’re in here. I think what we need to do is watch them, and when they’re distracted, maybe we can make a run for it. It sounds like they’re opening the door with a key right now, so hopefully the door will still be unlocked.”

As Fred whispered, the door knob was still rattling and shaking. I could hear the sound of keys jingling and the men cussing loudly as they tried key after key; we were running out of time.

“Freddy, I’m not sure if splitting up is such a good idea right now,” I began, my teeth chattering as I felt the freezing air jab against my skin again. “I can’t explain why, but I just have a really bad feeling about this right now.”

The door knob shook again, and again, the men swore, only this time it was followed up with deep raspy voice saying, “Well, we got two keys left, and I’ll be damned if neither of ‘em work! I bet it’ll be the last goddamn one that we try at this rate.”

Fred gently pushed me behind the stacks of barrels and moved a couple in front of where I was sitting, obscuring me from sight. “I promise, it’ll be okay, Daph! I’m going to hide behind the barrels closer to the entrance of the room. When those guys are busy, I’ll give you a signal, and when you hear it, make a run for it! We have no other chance!”

I opened my mouth to protest. This was certainly not one of Freddy’s brighter plans, and I still wasn’t sure how splitting us up would work, until it began to dawn on me that Fred was possibly considering playing hero and distracting the men in order for me to escape safely. I began to vehemently shake my head in protest, and I reached for his arm so I could drag him down next to me when I heard a clicking sound as a key slid into the door, and a voice said, “I think I got it!”

Fred’s eyes widened as he backed away from where I was sitting behind the barrels. He began running for the opposite side of the room. I ducked down behind the barrels, nestled safely from view, and peaked around the side of one barrel, watching as Fred dove behind a group of barrels grouped together on the opposite side of the room from where I was hiding, closer to the door. He gave me a quick thumbs-up, and then the door swung open.

Standing in the threshold of the door were two burly men. One had long, silver hair, which he kept tied back in a ponytail that hung down his back, and the other was completely bald. Both had red faces, which were no doubt flushed from anger and impatience, and their eyes were narrowed into angry slits. I gulped nervously: these guys didn’t look like they would be friendly and reasonable if they were to find where Freddy and I were hiding.

The two men walked into the room, sauntering slowly as their eyes swept the room in an attempt to locate us. And then I saw the one with the long silver ponytail narrowing his eyes as he focused on something in the middle of the room. I could feel my heart barreling into my throat the moment I realized what he was looking at: Fred’s jacket. We had completely forgotten to pick it up before we hid. My heart quickened in terror as I cursed myself for being so careless.

“Hey Tony, get a look at this,” the man with the ponytail rasped, gesturing towards Fred’s jacket, which was lying in a messy heap on the ground. “Looks like they must be down here somewhere, eh?”

“Well I’ll be damned,” the bald man replied, as he stooped down and picked up Fred’s jacket. “They gotta be down here somewhere, cause that door locks from the outside when you close it. Cowards. _When we find ‘em, I’m gonna rip ‘em to shreds_.” As the bald man spoke, I saw him clutch Fred’s jacket in his hands, and in one swift motion he ripped the jacket in half, as if it was no effort. I clamped my hand over my mouth, resisting the urge to cry out in fear.

“They gotta be hiding behind one of these goddam barrels or somethin’,” rasped the silver haired man. The bald man dropped Fred’s tattered jacket onto the ground, and the two began to slowly saunter around the room again, gazing around barrels as they walked.

“We’ll catch ‘em, and they can join their other two friends and their smelly ass dog,” the bald man replied. “The boss seemed especially pleased when we caught them three lootin’ around our cabin earlier. They won’t be snoopin’ around where their noses don’t belong for a long time now.”

As the two men cackled together, I could feel my body reacting to what they were saying; I was dizzy and light-headed, and the room began to spin. _Oh my gosh,_ I thought. _They have Velma and Shaggy and Scooby! No wonder the rest of the gang didn’t come looking for us._ My heart tightened in my chest as I pictured what kind of suffering my friends were enduring at this moment; I imagined the absolute terror that Shaggy and Scooby were no doubt feeling, the way their bodies would shake and the way their eyes must have bulged out of their heads at being kidnapped, and even the humorous way that their stomachs would be characteristically torn apart with hunger, in spite of and (but also because of) being kidnapped. And then my breath hitched in my throat when I imagined Velma’s anguish; Velma, my best friend, the same person who I shared a locker with at school and traded laughs with in between classes and mysteries and silly text messages. Slowly, as I imagined how frightened my friends were feeling, I was wracked with guilt over the fact that it was them who was captured, and not me. Up until recently, I was kidnapped often, and while it was always horrifying at the time, the one thing that gave me solace was knowing that it was me in potential danger, while my friends, who meant so much to me, were safe. I could feel my hands reflexively curl into fists. As soon as Fred and I were out of here, we were going to find our friends, and we were going to save them – I would make sure of it. 

“They sure won’t be snoopin’ around for long after tonight, that’s for damn sure!” silver ponytail said, coughing as he spoke. “Tonight’s the full moon, and boss is runnin’ outta time. I know she wants us to catch these last two clowns, but she needs to be prepared for what’s gonna happen tonight.”

My thoughts were whirling as I carefully watched the two men pushing barrels around as they attempted to locate us. _What did they mean that their boss was running out of time? What was going to happen with the full moon tonight?_

“Dammit Frank, I think you said enough!” the bald man exclaimed. “Now be quiet you ninny; we don’t want them other two brats to hear us!”

As the two men bickered, they were ambling closer and closer to the barrels where Fred was hiding. My eyes were glued to the men as they walked. Luckily, their backs were turned towards me, so for now I could watch them safely without being discovered.

Then my heart and my blood stilled when I saw the two men pause. The bald man pointed quietly towards the corner where Fred had concealed himself, and silver ponytail man nodded. Suddenly, silver haired ponytail reached for something in his pocket, and removed it in one swift motion. My breath hitched in my throat when I saw the man brandishing something sleek and shiny.

_A knife. He had a knife._ And it wasn’t just a regular knife: the blade was massively sharp, and large. Knives like this weren’t intended to simply injure – they were meant to kill.

The two men exchanged nods, as silver ponytailed man began to approach the barrels that concealed Fred, raising his knife above his head.

_Nonononono,_ I thought, my panic fused into one single, jumbled word. Without thinking, I rose from my hiding spot and rushed towards the man with the knife, moving on instinct and adrenaline alone. Since the men still had their backs facing me, silver haired ponytail never saw me as I ran as fast as I could and tackled him from behind, using all the power I had in me to take him down. Screaming in surprise, he fell to the ground, the knife clattering to the floor and sliding away from our reach.

He rolled onto his back and looked up at me, blinking in surprise. Pulling my leg back, I kicked him as hard as I could in his crotch, and he screamed in agony. “That’s what happens when you think about hurting my best fri-“

I was interrupted by the sudden impact of a fist connecting with my eye. Stunned, I fell to the ground, moaning in pain as my hand automatically reached for the eye that had been punched. My vision was blurry and the eye the bald man hit began watering, so I couldn’t see what was going on, but I immediately realized that the bald man had hit me after I took down his friend. Then I heard barrels being knocked over and Fred screamed, “HEY YOU BASTARD, LEAVE HER ALONE!”

As I rubbed my eye and blinked rapidly, I heard feet shuffling, and then I heard grunting and fists pummeling skin. Blow after blow, I heard a male voice sighing, “OOMF!” and felt my heart clenching as I feared that it was Fred.

I heard one final blow, and in an instant I heard Fred’s voice beside me, frantic and worried and upset, crying, “Daph! Are you okay?”

I felt him wrap his arms around my shoulders as I swiped the water away from my eyes and my vision cleared. Fred was gazing at me, his eyes glazed over with fear. One hand supported my head as I started sitting up, and his other hand began to softly stroke the spot just above the eye the bald man had punched. My face was pulsating with pain; I could already feel an angry welt forming there, and I knew it would probably develop into a bruise soon.

“I’m okay Freddy, I promise!” I said, trying to muster a smile. “I just freaked out when I saw they had a knife, and I couldn’t let them hurt you!”

Fred shook his head, anger flaring in his eyes. “I can’t believe you’re hurt because of me. I swear to God, I didn’t want to stop punching that guy after I saw him hurt you.”

Near us, the two man laid on the ground, moaning in pain. Silver haired ponytail was still grasping at his crotch, and the bald man’s hands covered his eyes, presumably nursing his face as a result of Fred’s punches.

Fred stood, pulling me to my feet with him. “Come on Daphne, now is our chance! We have to get out of here before they get up. I think they left the door unlocked!”

Fred took his hand in mine and we ran, with him leading me towards the exit. I held my breath as he grabbed the door knob, and when he tugged the door open, I breathed a sigh of relief as we were hit with a wave of warm air. When we pushed our way past the threshold, I saw that the door to the room across the hallway was ajar.

“Freddy, look!” I cried, pointing to the room. “We tried that door earlier and it was locked, but it looks like it’s been opened now! It could be a way out!”

“Let’s hope so! I don’t think there is any other way out of this basement.” Fred said, leading me through this new door. As he pulled back the door, we found ourselves facing an ascending staircase. I gulped, nervous for what we might meet as we climbed, but it looked as though we had no other choice. Fred squeezed my hand once, and we started running up the stairs, sometimes leaping and taking the steps two at a time. As we ran, my hands and toes no longer felt stiff and numb, as my body was already thawing after the hours we had spent locked up in the freezing room. I sighed – it was a relief to be out of that freezing cold room.

When the staircase ended, we were faced with another door, which Fred easily and quickly pushed open. Walking through the doorway, we blinked as our eyes adjusted to the light and we observed our new surroundings; when I saw the tacky, mint colored couch sitting in the middle of the room, I realized that were back in the living room of the cabin. We stepped into the middle of the room and I glanced back at the door we had just walked through, realizing that we had completely neglected to notice the doorway that was tucked away beneath the staircase – the very same staircase Velma and Shaggy and Scooby had climbed in search of clues before they were kidnapped.

As if Fred had read my thoughts, he exclaimed, “Those guys have Shaggy and Velma and Scooby! We have to get out of here and regroup, and find where they might be hiding them. Come on, let’s get to the Mystery Machine!”

We raced out the front door and began sprinting down the driveway, heading towards where we had parked the Mystery Machine behind a cluster of trees in the woods. It was dawn, and the bright early morning light felt too optimistic and too abrasive, especially in comparison with our current situation, and I couldn’t help but shield my eyes against the sun as we ran, as if the light was physically hurting me. When the Mystery Machine loomed ahead, I sighed, relieved to be getting away from this cabin.

As Fred ran around to the driver’s side, I grasped the handle for the passenger seat and pulled it open, my head down as I flew into the van. When I reached for my seat belt, I turned towards the driver’s seat and paused, my body once again frozen with fear.

Staring back at me was a thin man with long blonde hair and the same blue, piercing bright eyes and waxy skin. His Guns N’ Roses t-shirt was frayed and covered in grass stains, and when he smiled at me, I could see the blood stained on his teeth.

“Join…us…tonight…” the zombie said, his arms lurching towards me as I screamed.

“I DON’T THINK SO!” I yelled, my legs kicking back his arms as he tried to grab me. He recoiled in pain when my heel connected with his eye, and I took the opportunity to slide out of the Mystery Machine, slamming the door shut behind me.

Fred had just reached the driver side of the van and was about to open the door when he paused, seeing the zombie keeled over in pain behind the wheel. He took a few steps back, shocked at the sight of the zombie.

“Jeez, these guys are everywhere!” Fred yelled, as he ran around the side of the car to meet me. “Are you okay, Daph?”

I didn’t have the chance to reply, as we were interrupted by the sound of a loud screech coming from above us. Fred and I looked up, both of us noting the female zombie standing menacingly on the roof of the Mystery Machine. Her long blonde hair was covered in dirt as it rippled in the wind, and her blue eyes narrowed into thin slits as she glared at us. When she saw us staring at her, she smiled sickeningly and screeched again.

“You…will…join us!” she implored us. She leapt down from the Mystery Machine and landed just a few feet before us, the evil grin still plastered on her face as she began to stagger towards us, arms outstretched.

“I guess this means we aren’t driving home!” Fred yelled. “Daph, run through the woods – we can lose them in there!”

He didn’t have to tell me twice. I spun on my heels and followed behind Fred, hearing the zombie’s footsteps crunching on the ground as she followed closely behind us. As Fred gripped my wrist, we tore through the woods, navigating our way around the cluster of trees surrounding us and ducking to avoid being smacked in the face by branches that blocked our path. After a few minutes, I could no longer hear the sound of footsteps chasing us, so I dared to steal a glance behind me; luckily, we were finally alone.

“Freddy, the zombies are gone!” I yelled, panting from the effort of running. “I need to stop and catch my breath for a minute.”

Fred paused and glanced behind us to double check, and seeing that I was right, he stopped, plopping onto his knees and gasping for air. I leaned against a tree for support, gasping for air as I attempted to still my beating heart as it knocked against my ribcage.

Not even a minute later Fred jumped back up, and angrily kicked a tree nearby him, cursing under his breath. “This is just great!” he barked sarcastically. “We have to hike through these woods to get back to Coolsville because those zombies have our van, we’re no closer to solving the mystery, and worst of all, our friends have been kidnapped! I hate to ask, but what’s next?”

The skin on the back of my neck crawled as I shivered in horror and apprehension; I had a premonition that we were going to find out the answer to Fred’s question real soon.


	18. Ransacked

I called Velma’s cell phone number for the third time in a row, silently imploring her to answer with each passing ring. When her voicemail clicked on, I sighed and turned to Fred. “Velma still isn’t picking up her phone. Wherever they’re being held, she either has no access to her phone, or she isn’t able to answer us right now.”

Fred nodded as I spoke, his phone pressed to his ear. “Shaggy’s phone didn’t even ring – it went straight to voicemail. Maybe his battery is dead. I guess we’re on our own for trying to find them.”

It was about an hour after we had escaped from the cabin and evaded those zombies, and we were still walking through the woods as we made our way back to Coolsville on foot. Since we had no leads as to where Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby were being held hostage, I had suggested trying to call them on their cell phone, but we didn’t have any luck in reaching them, which I had both dreaded and suspected. For now, our current plan was to make it back to Coolsville. From there, we would find Officer Smith, report our friends as missing, and tell the police about what we had discovered in the cabin. Our hope was that the police would arrest the two men who had attacked us, which would hopefully relieve Sherry as a suspect, and lead us back to our friends. Normally, the police department’s help with past mysteries was minimal at best (usually we did all the heavy lifting and they would just arrest someone after we had trapped and unmasked them), but at this point, we were running out of options, and we had no further leads.

As we walked, Fred and I mostly were silent. I was worried for Shaggy, Scooby, and Velma; if those two men had had attacked them the same way they did Fred and me, then I was concerned for their safety. As for Fred, I wasn’t entirely sure why he was quiet, but I worried it was because things were awkward between us after we had spent the night together in the cabin. I pushed the thought out of my mind; I knew that with the mystery heating up and with our friends missing, this wasn’t the time to dwell on personal drama, and Fred was probably just trying to endure this long walk back to Coolsville. We hadn’t anticipated having to walk through the long stretch of woods after losing the van to zombies, and the hike back to Coolsville was proving to be no easy task, as we were constantly scanning the uneven ground to make sure we didn’t trip over large branches that were strewn along the path.

I was starting to feel exhausted; I had lost count of how many times I had accidently stepped in mud, and my feet were starting to blister from all the walking. I knew that we were getting closer to Coolsville, but we still had quite some distance to walk.

“There’s something I’ve been wondering ever since we heard those guys talking in that room downstairs,” Fred began, his words finally cutting through the silence shared between us. “Did you hear what they were saying? The one guy was talking about how the full moon is tonight, and that their boss is losing time, or something. What does all that mean? Does it have any connection to the mystery?”

I shook my head, equally as baffled. “I’m not sure, Fred. Truth be told, I was wondering that, too. Whatever it is must be important though, because the other man hushed his friend before he could say anymore. They clearly didn’t want us to know what it was they were talking about.”

Fred didn’t respond for a few minutes, and we passed another few minutes in silence, continuing to walk and step gingerly around branches and rocks. Finally, Fred sighed and said, “I need to sit for a few minutes – let’s take a break.”

We located a tree stump nearby, and as we sat side-by-side I was relieved to rest: my calf muscles had been screaming in pain for the past twenty minutes. Fred sighed and cradled his head in hands.

Concerned, I reached towards him, placing a hand on his shoulder as I spoke to him. “Freddy, is everything okay? What’s wrong?”

As he spoke, Fred kept his head bowed, and he stared at a brown leaf that was laying on the ground between his feet, refusing to make eye contact with me. “Daph…I told you I was a crappy leader. This whole mystery is just proof of that. We were trapped in a freezing room that could have killed us had we not escaped, and I got Velma and Scooby and Shaggy kidnapped after we separated from them in the cabin. And now we’re forced to walk through these woods back to Coolsville after we lost our van, and who knows what those sketchy guys have planned for tonight!”

Before I could say anything in response, Fred raised his head to look at me, and when our eyes locked, I froze under his gaze. Then, ever so slowly, he reached forward and began to gently brush his fingers over the spot above my eye where I had been punched earlier, as if doing so would remove my developing bruise. I felt myself shiver beneath his touch.

His fingers trailed down my cheek and then he cupped my chin in his hand, pausing there as he smiled at me sadly. “And because of me, you got punched in the face by some creepy ass hole,” Fred said softly. “As soon as we get back to Coolsville, I’m going to find some ice for your bruise. I still can’t believe you jumped out at him for me. I definitely don’t deserve it.”

I grabbed the hand that was tenderly holding my face and looked at Fred as I spoke. “Freddy, you have _got to stop_ talking about yourself as a horrible leader, because it isn’t true! First of all, it isn’t your fault that Velma and Shaggy and Scooby got kidnapped. We split up all the time during a mystery, and everyone knows there is a risk when we do, but we are willing to take that risk because we’re all passionate about finding clues and solving the mystery. As for being trapped, part of that was good because we did find the microchips, and we do have those two men as legitimate suspects, but again, you couldn’t help it when we were locked inside. So stop blaming yourself for things you can’t control! It’s all part of what we do when solving mysteries.”

Then I smiled at him, and continued, “And I would take a punch for you any day, Jones. I meant what I said – I get to worry about you.”

“Yeah, I know,” Fred replied softly. “But I’m not sure how I got so lucky.”

I watched as Fred’s face slowly broke into a smile, but there was still something sad about the way he was looking at me. His gaze never broke from mine, and my hand was still resting on the hand he had placed on my cheek. Between the way he was staring at me and the way he was touching me, so softly and gently, I sat motionless. My mind felt as though it were filled with static, and I felt warm all over, as if heat were filtering through my bloodstream and filling the gaps between my bones.

Finally, Fred began to speak, saying, “Daph, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about something – “

He was interrupted by the sound of tornado sirens screeching nearby. We flew apart from each other, surprised by the abrupt noise. My heart was thrashing inside my chest, both from anticipation of what Fred had to say, and in alarm from the siren, which always warned people of an arriving tornado. However, the sun was shining, and the sky was blue and clear – there wasn’t any indication of an impending tornado in the weather.

“Why is Coolsville’s tornado siren going off if the weather is clear?” Fred pondered, echoing my thoughts. “Come on, Daph – we need to get there asap! I know it’s been a tiring walk, but we’re close to Coolsville now, so we better start running to see what’s going on!”

We jumped off the tree stump and began running, and as we ran, I tried to focus on the task at hand, not letting my disappointment show over the fact that whenever it seemed Fred was about to say something important, we were interrupted. _I guess it will have to wait until after this mystery is solved,_ I thought as we drew closer to Coolsville. I could see the outline of buildings through the trees just ahead of us.

As we burst out of the woods and entered the outskirts of the town, the tornado siren stopped shrieking. With the absence of the tornado siren, everything now felt quiet; in fact, it was almost _too_ quiet. There was no sign of any other person walking through the streets, nor was there even a single car driving on the road. As we continued to sprint through the streets, I also noted the lack of birds chirping and singing, the absence of children’s laughter carrying through the streets, and most alarming of all, I noticed the way each house we passed seemed dark and empty, almost as if the town had been abandoned. I shuddered as though a gust of cold air had sliced through me: I was feeling more and more unsettled about the way Coolsville looked as we ran. Fred glanced behind me as we ran, and we exchanged a wordless look that communicated how uneasy we both felt.

We slowed our pace as we neared downtown Coolsville, and our mouths dropped open in shock and disgust at the scene before us. Usually, downtown Coolsville was like the heartbeat of Coolsville; it was always humming with energy as people scuttled down the streets as they hurried on their way to work or school. But the downtown Coolsville we saw before us now wasn’t lively in the least. Just like the outskirts of the city, the streets were completely empty – gone were the people who were rushing to and from work. Worse yet, something (or someone?) had combed through the buildings downtown and purposefully destroyed the buildings here, as each of the windows of the stores and businesses that were lined up along the street were completely smashed, and glass was scattered along the sidewalk. A door to the women’s boutique flapped open in the breeze, and papers fluttered and tumbled down the street as they were carried by the breeze. Somehow, during the time in between when we had left for the cabin yesterday and now, Coolsville had been utterly ransacked.

Fred and I turned to face each other, our mouths still hanging open as we attempted to vocalize our fears and thoughts. Fred’s lips were set in a firm, straight line, which always happened whenever he was feeling frightened and concerned, but didn’t want to reveal it.

“Something horrible has obviously happened,” Fred spoke quietly, as if he didn’t want to be heard, which was odd considering that no one was even around to hear us. “We need to get to Coolsville PD and see what’s going!”

We turned and began running through the streets of downtown as we made our way towards the police station, which was just a couple blocks over. As we ran, a light gleamed out of the corner of my eye and caught my attention. I turned, gasping at what I saw. 

“Freddy, look!” I cried, pointing towards the man who was lying face down on the pavement across the street from us. His face was bloodied and bruised, and even though his hat was covering his face, the police badge sewn on his sleeve revealed his identity – _Officer Smith_.

“Officer Smith!” Fred screamed, his voice laced with panic as we crossed the street and raced towards our old acquaintance. Fred stooped onto his knees and gently shook Officer Smith, begging him to wake up. I dropped beside Officer Smith, feeling for the faint pulse in his arm.

Officer Smith groaned, his eyes opening slowly as he stared at us kneeling before him. “Ohhh kids,” he moaned in pain. “It’s you guys. I thought they got everyone – I am so glad you guys are all right!”

My throat tightened in fear as I watched Officer Smith attempt to speak. “You thought that who got everyone, Officer? What happened to Coolsville?!”

Officer Smith didn’t respond. Instead, he tried to push himself off the ground with his arms, but he moaned in pain and collapsed onto the pavement. Fred and I hoisted Officer Smith onto his feet, and we hooked his arms around our shoulders and carried him towards a nearby business, where we leaned him against the brick wall so he could sit and rest.

As Officer Smith relaxed against the wall, his eyes closing peacefully, I inquired again, “Officer Smith, what happened here?”

Officer Smith opened his eyes again and he looked between Fred and me as he spoke, his voice shaky and wavering with disbelief. “Yesterday, as Coolsville High was attacked, we started getting more phone calls from citizens who said that zombies were attacking people in the streets and smashing the windows at several businesses downtown. It seemed that the zombie attacks weren’t exclusive to the high school, and sure enough, the callers were right – when I left the high school and came out to investigate downtown, I found zombies everywhere.”

I felt my skin crawling with goosebumps as Officer Smith continued, “As was the case with the high school, the zombies were attacking people on the street, and some of the zombies were even dragging citizens away, kidnapping them and taking them who knows where. Between the attacks at the high school and now this, I was feeling pretty pissed at this point. I tackled as many zombies as I could in an attempt to stop them, but I was overpowered by two bigger guys, who punched me and kicked me around until I was hurt so badly that I couldn’t even move.”

Officer Smith stopped speaking, and he clenched his jaw in anger. “After awhile I just laid on the sidewalk and suffered in pain as Coolsville was attacked, and I was powerless to stop it. I felt like such a failure; I mean, here I am, a cop, and it’s my duty to protect and save Coolsville, and I failed. What kind of leader am I?!” As he spoke, his voice rose in anger, and he spat each word out in disgust.

Instinctively, I gazed at Fred: Officer Smith’s words were sounding awful similar to something he might say as of late. Fred must have caught that too, as he returned my gaze with a melancholy smile and turned to Officer Smith, saying, “Look Officer Smith, I get it – believe me, I do. But you can’t beat yourself up over this. The zombies outnumbered you and they were just far too powerful: there was only so much you could do as one person. We all know you did the best you could to save Coolsville.”

Officer Smith laughed, but it sounded sarcastic and bitter. “It doesn’t even matter now, son. Those zombies have something crazy planned for tonight, and there is no way that anyone is going to stop them.”

I rose my eyebrows in response to Officer Smith’s comment. “Officer Smith, we just came back from investigating a creepy cabin in the woods, and when we were there we overheard two men who appeared to be involved this scheme saying that tonight is a full moon and that their boss is running out of time. Do you know what they were talking about at all?”

“I think I have an idea,” Officer Smith stated grimly. “You see, while I was lying on the sidewalk, I heard a woman calling out to the zombies as they attacked. I didn’t think they would listen to human reasoning, but instantly they stopped their rampage and turned to listen to her. She told them to round up the last of the citizens and take them away so they could implant their new captives with microchips before tonight’s ceremony in the middle of downtown Coolsville. She said they had to be ready by the time the full moon was high in the sky, because after that point, everyone would remain a zombie – _forever._ ”

Fred and I gasped audibly.

“I know, it sounds like some crazy science fiction horror-movie shit,” Officer Smith sighed. “I could hardly believe it myself. I waited for a zombie to lift me off and drag me away, but I think they thought I was severely injured or dead, because every time one of them walked by me, they would just keep walking. And now I’ve just been lying here and waiting for the end of the world as we know it.”

“Officer Smith, did you happen to recognize the woman who spoke to the zombies?” Fred asked. “I mean, did you hear her name, or even just recognize her voice when she was talking?”

Officer Smith paused, his face furrowed in thought. “I’ve been lying here for a while, so I don’t recall too well, to be honest. I didn’t see her since I was too weak to move, but I did hear a zombie say her name at one point. I don’t remember it off the top of my head; I think if I heard her name now I would recognize it, but I want to say it started with an S…or maybe like an ‘Sh’ of some sort –“

My heart stilled, as if it had stopped altogether. “Was it Sherry?”

Officer Smith’s face brightened with recognition. “Yes, I think that must have been it – Sherry.” He paused, his face scrunched together. “Huh. We had her locked up just before the attacks though. I wonder how she managed to get out of jail.”

I stepped back in shock, stumbling as though Officer Smith had just slapped me across the face. I turned to Fred, my eyes moistening with tears. “Wow…I wanted to believe that it wasn’t Sherry, but here’s our proof. I guess she really was the culprit this entire time. But why?”

Fred shook his head slowly; he was clearly feeling shocked, too. “I’m not sure, Daph, but to be honest, it almost doesn’t even matter now. Officer Smith said that tonight everyone will be in the middle of downtown Coolsville as Sherry will somehow turn everyone into a zombie for the rest of their lives. I’m not sure how we’re going to do this, but we need to be there so we can stop her before it’s too late! Plus, if she has Scooby and Shaggy and Velma, we need to save them!”

Officer Smith’s eyes widened. “You two kids can’t stop them – it’s too dangerous, and I won’t allow it! She has already kidnapped all of my colleagues, and I won’t allow her to have anyone else. I suggest that you two leave here and return with help. My sergeant was trying to use the tornado siren to draw attention from neighboring towns, so maybe we will see someone help us soon!”

“I hate to say it, Officer Smith, but I don’t think we have the luxury of waiting around for someone to save us,” Fred said, his eyes ablaze with determination. “The tornado sirens have been silent for a while now, and I see no sign of anyone coming to help us. If we sit around and wait, it might be too late – we’re running out of time.”

Officer Smith sighed. “Well, if I can’t talk you kids out of this, at least promise me that you’ll stay safe. I wish I could be of assistance, but I think I’m too banged up, and I don’t want to slow you guys down. And besides,” he added with a smile. “You kids never needed the assistance of the police in the past. Something tells me that if anyone can stop these zombies, it’s you guys.”

“Thanks Officer Smith,” I said, smiling at him. “You just rest here, and stay out of sight! I promise this will be over soon.”

As Fred and I walked away from Officer Smith, who was clutching his shoulder and wincing in pain, I sighed. “Jeepers Freddy, we thought we were in over our heads before, but now this is just ridiculous! What are we going to do now?”

“I think the best course of action is to just wait.” Fred said, as we walked through the deserted streets of Coolsville. “Let’s head back to my house and hide out there. It looks as though the town is empty, but just in case, we can wait there and think of some sort of plan until it gets dark.”

Fred and I strolled down the sidewalk slowly, walking side-by-side as we were lost in thought. Ever since we had spoken to Officer Smith, my head hadn’t stopped spinning, and I felt as though my world had been flipped upside down; it was a lot to process that Sherry was indeed the mastermind of all this, and that now we were being thrusted into this impossible plan of stopping her before she turned everyone into zombies – for forever.

Fred exhaled, as if he had been holding his breath as we walked. “Thank God we’re almost there,” he stated, as we passed the white picket fence of his next door neighbor’s house and began walking towards the Jones’ driveway. “I don’t know how we’re going to pull this off, but –“

The sound of a high-pitched scream piercing the sky caused us to jump. I gripped Fred’s arm out of fear and instinct.

“W-w-what was that?” I asked, almost too afraid of the answer.

The sound of glass shattering drew our attention to Fred’s house, and I could feel my eyes widen and my heart palpitating in my chest as I saw a female zombie hanging from the side of Fred’s living room window. The window had been completely shattered, and the zombie didn’t even seem to notice that the glass had shredded her skin and caused her arm to start bleeding.

“We…have…been…looking for you two!” She snarled, her blue eyes glowing as she fixed her gaze upon us. Without hesitating, she leapt from the window and landed cleanly on her feet, just as the Jones’ front door flew open and revealed a male zombie, who staggered out of the house and began to lumber across the front lawn as he eyed us with the same penetrating blue eyes.

Fred and I stumbled backwards as the zombies approached us. Both of them were repeating, “We…need…you…both…to…join…us….”

“Boy, these guys are persistent, I’ll give them that much,” Fred mumbled. “Come on Daph, let’s run!”

We turned and began running away from the zombies, who were quickly gaining on us. Fred was running just a few feet ahead of me, and I could hear the zombies running close behind us, panting as they struggled to keep up with us. I shot a look over my shoulder to see how much distance was between us, but as I did so, I somehow twisted my ankle while I was running, and I fell to the pavement, moaning in pain.

Instantly, I heard the sound of a male and a female laughing behind me. Slowly, I turned around to face the zombies, who were hovering just before me with their arms outstretched. 

“The boss…will be…especially pleased…that we have _you…._ my dear!” The woman cackled, her arms hands reaching towards me. “Now, prepare to _die_!”


	19. The Twist

As the female zombie lurched towards me, I screamed, closing my eyes and throwing my hands over my face to fend off any potential blows. I heard the male zombie cackling with delight, and then I heard Fred yelling from behind me, “Don’t worry Daph, I’ll save you!”

I lowered my hands from my eyes in time to see Fred swing at the woman’s face, his fist smashing into her jaw. She howled in pain and tottered to the ground as the other zombie pointed a narrow, bony finger in Fred’s direction, yelling, “You…will…pay for this!”

I scrambled to push myself off the ground and stand, wincing as I applied pressure to my left ankle, which felt sprained from the fall. Fred had his back facing the male zombie, who was rushing towards Fred as he stood over the fallen female zombie. “Freddy, look out behind you!” I shrieked.

Fred spun around to meet the zombie, his fist raised in anticipation, but he was too slow. The zombie speared himself into Fred, and the two fell in a tangled heap on the ground, both swiping and clawing at each other as they rolled around and wrestled each other on the pavement. The two exchanged punches, tit for tat; just as Fred would appear to have the upper hand and would pin the zombie on the ground, punching and clawing at his face, the zombie would smack Fred on the cheek and roll on top of him, walloping Fred with his fists in return. It was a vicious, unnerving cycle, and I felt helpless to do anything as I watched the brawl unfold before me.

Finally, the zombie managed to overpower Fred one final time, as he managed to strike Fred in the face multiple times. Fred’s eyes were closing as he was weakened, and this time, Fred didn’t retaliate as the zombie rolled Fred onto his back. The zombie suddenly stood and hovered above Fred, watching as Fred groaned and withered in pain. Then, the zombie reached into the back pocket of his jeans, retrieving a pocket knife, which he held high above his head triumphantly.

“Jeepers, not again,” I mumbled. As the zombie began guffawing with pleasure, I started sprinting towards them both, wincing as I tried to ignore the pain that shot through my ankle while I ran. The zombie was too busy eyeing Fred as he stood laughing over Fred’s motionless body, so the zombie didn’t see me until it was too late. I ran forward and kicked the zombie in the groin with my good foot, effectively causing him to collapse him onto the ground.

I dropped to the pavement beside Fred. Seeing his eyes closed, I began shaking his shoulders and begging him to wake up. Finally, he stirred, his crystal blue eyes sliding open and looking directly into mine. He smiled weakly, and I placed a reassuring hand on his right cheek, and said, “Freddy, are you all right?”

“Yea, I think I’ll be fine, thanks,” he said. “But that was a close call!” He began to push himself off the ground, leaning against his elbows for support. I grabbed his back, steadying him for support as he sat up gradually. “It looks like those zombies were staking out my house and waiting for us, so we need to hide somewhere else. I have a feeling they’re looking for us now, so we need to hide somewhere they won’t suspect to look!”

As soon as he stopped speaking, I heard the sound of a high-pitched laugh wafting towards us from somewhere down the street. Our heads flew towards the direction of the laugh, but we saw nothing, save for the two zombies we had just fended off, who laid sprawling on the ground and were wailing in pain.

“Jeepers, it sounds like we may have more company on the way,” I whispered. “We need to get out of here and hide!”

“You don’t have to tell me twice!” Fred nodded, as he stood and began running down the street, jogging in the opposite direction of the laughter. I followed closely behind him, but my ankle was throbbing as I ran, causing me to limp.

Fred stopped and turned to look at me, his eyes widening in concern. “Daph, are you okay?! Did you hurt your ankle?” He asked, eyeing my limp as I favored my left leg.

I waved my hand in his direction, as if I were waving off his suggestion as a ridiculous comment. “No Freddy, I’m fine!” I began. “I think I just – “ but as I was talking my ankle rolled again, and I staggered forward. Luckily, Fred was standing nearby, and he grabbed me by the arms before I could fall.

“You are clearly not fine, Daphne.” Fred said, grasping my arms as I steadied myself. The sound of more high-pitched laughter caused us both to flinch, jumping as we surveyed our surroundings, but again, we saw no one.

Fred positioned himself beside me and draped my arm around his shoulders. “Come on, you can lean against me for support as we run! We have to get away from whoever is laughing.”

It wasn’t easy to move quickly with Fred supporting me; we both took turns stumbling often, and it was difficult to run without bumping into each other and falling. We hadn’t gotten very far before we jumped again at the sound of laughter slicing through the sky.

“Freddy, just leave me,” I cried. “I’m dead-weight, and I keep pulling you back! Whatever is chasing us is going to get us both if you don’t go now!”

“Daph, there is no way I am ever leaving you!” Fred yelled, his eyes wide with disbelief as I spoke. “You know I would never leave you, no matter what!” He glanced around us, observing our surroundings as he spoke. “We just need to hide now. I don’t think either of us are well enough to run and fight after our last attack. Look over there!”

I followed Fred’s gaze, noting the small house on the corner of the street that he was eyeing. Just like with the businesses in Downtown Coolsville, the windows of the house were smashed, and glass was strewn along the front lawn, but I realized there was probably a reason Fred had this house in mind. The family who lived here moved away suddenly about six months ago, and since they had rented the house, the landlords had yet to find new occupants. It was completely deserted, so no one would notice if we hunkered down here for a few hours, and if the zombies were chasing us, maybe they wouldn’t think of looking into a random house that was vacant and had already been collateral damage in their rampage. 

As quickly as we could manage, we staggered up the driveway and made our way to the front porch. Fred kicked the front door, and luckily it shuddered open easily. We entered and slammed the door behind us, and immediately I collapsed onto the ground, rubbing my ankle as I sat and breathed evenly, attempting to soothe my rattled nerves. Fred crawled toward the shattered window and peered out slowly, careful to lay low to the ground so that his body was concealed. From where I was sitting on the ground, I could hear the laughter drawing closer and closer. As if the person (zombie?) could hear me from inside the house, I held my breath when I guessed that the source of the laugh was hovering just outside the front yard. I could visibly see Fred holding his breath in anticipation, and a minute later he exhaled, as if he were releasing his breath, and retreated from the window.

Fred walked over to me and lowered himself beside me, crossing his legs as he sat. “It was another zombie,” he confirmed. “But I think she’s gone now. I saw her looking around outside, and she took off down the street. She must have thought we kept running – I think we got here just in time.”

I sighed with relief, scanning the room we were sitting in. As I had assumed, the house was completely empty. We were sitting in what appeared to be a living room, but the walls were completely bare, and the room contained no furniture. The only indication of any recent activity was the sight of footprints tracked along the cream colored carpet, which I assumed belonged to the zombies.

“I think we should be safe here,” Fred reasoned. “Those zombies must have been waiting in my house because they knew we would think to go there. Good thing my family was on vacation this week, or I would hate to think of what would have happened to them!”

I gulped, realizing that Fred’s implication was probably correct. “Freddy, do you think the zombies are waiting for us at my house, too? My family might be in danger!”

Fred shook his head gravely. “Honestly? It’s a possibility, but we can’t afford to dwell on that right now. It sounds like they may have attacked all of Coolsville, so I would venture to guess that no one is safe right now. But that’s okay, cause we’re going to rest and regroup, and we’re going to stop Sherry before she can make this permanent!”

My heart felt as though it was tightening in my chest, and my head ached. Everything felt too overwhelming now: our friends had been kidnapped and were being held who knows where, Coolsville was destroyed, and now it looked as though our families and our homes were being targeted, too. I nervously bit my lip as I felt my eyes well up with tears that threatened to fall, but I hastily brushed them away with my palms, hoping that Fred hadn’t noticed.

But Fred must have been noticed the way I shifted and moved, because he held his arms out towards me and said, “C’mere, Daph. It’s going to be okay.”

Without speaking I moved towards him and allowed myself to fall into Fred as he encircled his arms around my shoulders, rubbing his hand in small circles against my back as I felt the grief and anxiety within me stir and burst open like a dam. I attempted to stifle a sob as it escaped from my throat, but as I buried my face in Fred’s shirt and inhaled him, I realized that this could be the end for us all and I started crying, the tears that I had attempted to suppress now flowing freely down my cheeks. Fred continued to rub my back reassuringly, and as he did so, he rocked me back and forth.

“Freddy, how on Earth are we going to manage to save everyone?” I said in between my tears and hiccups. “I don’t want to lose everyone we care about to these zombies!”

“I know, I know,” Fred said soothingly, his voice becoming thick with emotion. “But don’t worry, we’ll manage to figure things out. I’ll check around the house to see if maybe there is something here we can use as a weapon for protection when we leave. When I come back, we’ll make a game plan for tonight.”

By now my breathing had calmed, and my hiccups were gone. As Fred withdrew his arms from me, he leaned back, gazing intensely into my eyes, silently asking if I was okay. A few stray tears were still trailing down my face, and he slowly reached forward with his thumb to swipe them off my face, never once breaking my gaze: I was aware of how electric this felt in spite of the danger we were facing.

“Hey,” he said softly, his eyes sympathetic as he watched me. He continued touching my cheek, his fingers grazing my chin as he spoke. “I mean it: we will get our friends back and save Coolsville. Trust me, everything is going to be all right!”

Then Fred sat up and pulled me in for one more hug, and I caught a whiff of him, spicy and warm and as comforting as a wool blanket on a rainy day, and I felt as though my head was filled with fire again. As he hugged me, it only now occurred to me that if the zombies had their way, this could be the last time I held him, and I wanted to cling to him and this embrace and remember everything; I wanted to catalogue this moment, capture it in images and color and words and emotions, but he was already withdrawing away from me and rising as he stood up.

“You just keep resting right here while I look around,” Fred instructed. “To be honest, I doubt that I will find anything useful, but if all of these zombies are armed, then I need to be prepared.” And with that he turned away, walking into the other rooms of the house. I could hear him moving from room to room, opening and closing cabinet doors as he searched for anything of value.

As I sat, I struggled to think of a good plan to overthrow these zombies. Usually we had a trove of supplies at our disposal when we captured monsters and criminals in the past, but this time, we were working at a disadvantage, and a trap didn’t seem to apply in this instance, either. Not for the first time, I lamented that Velma wasn’t here to help us; she was so brilliant, and she would have thought of a foolproof plan to stop the zombies by now. Remembering that Velma was kidnapped and could be in danger made me shudder, and I fleetingly hoped that she, Shaggy, and Scooby were safe.

I glanced towards the fragmented window as I waited for Fred to return, noting how the sun had begun to sink from the horizon and was melting across the sky, searing the sky with vibrant oranges and pinks and yellows. Under any other circumstances, it would have been a beautiful sight, but now it was just a dark foreboding of what was to come with tonight’s impending full moon. As I continued to watch the sunset, Fred finally returned, empty handed. His mouth was set in a firm-line, and his face looked a little pale.

“I didn’t find anything useful,” he reported, his voice grave. “And I’ve been thinking about the plan for stopping the zombies tonight.”

He paused, and I rose my eyebrow, silently giving him permission to continue speaking. When he remained silent, I began to feel uneasy, wondering what it was he was so nervous to vocalize.

“Freddy, what’s wrong?” I asked, my voice rising with concern. “Do you have a plan for us?”

Fred’s eyes locked with mine, and I couldn’t remember the last time I had seen him look so serious. Finally, he spoke, “I think it’s best if I go downtown by myself. Alone. While you stay here and wait. It’s just too dangerous for you to come with me, especially with your ankle injured, and I would hate to see anything happen to you.”

I recoiled as though his words had physically struck me, and began to fervently shake my head.

“No. No, absolutely not, there is no way you are going by yourself, Fred,” I said, still shaking my head. “Freddy, just give me a few minutes and I’ll go with you – I can walk fine!” Without warning, I felt my eyes welling up with tears again, and I ducked my head to avoid him noticing.

“I can’t let you go with me, Daph,” Fred began, his voice firm but gentle. “Trust me, this will be for your own good. Your ankle is keeping you from running, and I could never forgive myself if something happened to you, too. It really is best if I go alone.”

I was still shaking my head as Fred spoke: I couldn’t even look at him as he spoke.

“You can’t do this!” I yelled. “So what, you’re just going to leave me here to worry about you as you face those zombies alone?! Don’t you know that if something happened to you while I just sat and waited here, _I_ would be the one who would never forgive _myself_?”

Fred didn’t say anything in response. He was looking down at the ground, staring at a spot on the carpet between his shoes.

“And if something happens to you tonight, I’ll just be here sitting by myself, waiting for you to come back, only that will never happen! So I guess you were lying earlier then,” I said, spitting my words out bitterly and angrily. I knew that I might say something I would regret, but I couldn’t help myself. “I guess you were lying when you said you were never leaving me while we were running from those zombies, cause it sure seems like you’re trying your damn hardest to leave me right now!”

Without hesitating, Fred dropped to the ground before me again, and he took me in his arms as I started sobbing uncontrollably. “You can’t just go by yourself, Fred – please don’t leave me!” I begged through my tears. I felt myself fumbling as I struggled to tell him just how much I needed him to understand that he couldn’t go alone. It wasn’t fair; maybe he would feel guilty if something were to happen to me, but how did he think I would feel if I just watched him walk out of this house and face an almost certain death without me? I would never be able to live with myself: I would be too overwhelmed and wracked with guilt.

“Hey, listen to me,” Fred said, and he sat back on his heels so he could stare at me. He took my hands in his, and I didn’t realize until that exact moment that my own hands were trembling. Fred squeezed my fingers and tugged me closer.

“Listen to me,” he said again. “I’m sorry, really, but I’m not sure what to do. I did mean what I said earlier; I will never leave you, but I really think it’s best if you stay behind. Trust me – you have no idea how I feel about you, and how guilty I would feel if you got hurt tonight.”

I laughed sarcastically and shook my head. “I’m pretty sure I know how you feel about me, which is nothing, because you’re just going to walk out of here and leave me all by myself while I worry about you!”

“No, actually, I don’t think you know how I feel about you,” Fred said, his voice solemn. His eyes were bright and intense as he spoke. “You think you know how I feel about you, but you really, truly, have no idea.”

My mind was spinning as I attempted to keep up with the conversation; somehow, it felt as though we shifted from talking about one topic to talking about another entirely different subject. 

“Yes,” I said stubbornly, “yes, I do know – “

And then Fred leaned in and kissed me, right on the lips.

He caught me completely off-guard, but it only took me a moment to respond. I pulled him closer to me, as if he would slip away from me and I would lose him forever, and he tangled his hands in my hair as I wrapped my arms around his neck. As he kissed me, I felt as though I were reduced to heartbeats and breaths, and my mind went blank as I thought of nothing, nothing but this moment that I had hoped for for so long. His lips felt soft as they pressed against mine urgently, as though we were losing time. I had kissed a few guys before but it was never like this – this was infinitely better, in fact, it was the best thing that had ever happened to me. As the kiss deepened I collapsed into him, and he parted my lips and I could taste him, warm and spicy, and I shivered, even though my body felt as though I was both simultaneously warm and cold. Then, just as suddenly as he had started to kiss me, Fred pulled away, gasping for air.

“Wow,” he breathed, his face splitting into a smile as he pressed his forehead against mine, and I thought it was over until he leaned in close and kissed me once, gently, and lingered there, our lips still touching as my heart fluttered against my ribcage. I pressed my lips against his again before he could pull away, trying to desperately hold onto this moment in case this never happened again. I could feel him smiling beneath my lips as we kissed, and I couldn’t help but smile, too.

When we broke apart again we were both breathing hard, and we were still staring at each other as we both smiled shyly. Fred’s cheeks were crimson red, and I fleetingly wondered if I looked just as flushed as he did.

“See? I told you that you had no idea how I felt about you,” Fred said, almost too quietly.

I shook my head, struggling to speak. I drew an unsteady breath and laughed, shakily. “You have no idea how long I’ve been wanting to do that,” I finally admitted softly.

“Awwww, how sweet. And you both have no idea how long I have been wanting to do this!”

Fred and I flew apart from each other like shrapnel, spinning to face the sound of the female voice that spoke to us from the threshold of the front door of the house. Standing before us was a cloaked figure, covered and draped in black clothes from head to toe. The only thing we could see were her blue eyes through the outline of the black ski mask that concealed her face.

Fred leapt to his feet and began running towards the woman, but she calmly raised a black Taser gun and shot at him, causing Fred to stagger from the jolt and crumple to the ground. I screamed as I watched Fred’s body wracked with pain from the shock of the Taser. Then the woman narrowed her blue eyes at me and began to walk towards me, stepping over Fred’s incapacitated body as she drew closer to where I was sitting on the ground.

I retreated as quickly as I could by crawling away from the woman as she approached me, but stopped when my back bumped against the living room wall – I was trapped. The woman was standing over me in just a few seconds, and I shook with fear as she leveled the Taser before my eyes.

“You thought you could get away from me, but you’ve reached the end of the line,” she sneered, her blue eyes icy and cold. “You two make me sick,” she continued, gesturing towards Fred’s crumpled body as she said this. “I have been waiting to do this for quite some time now!”

I cringed as she gripped the Taser gun and aimed it towards me. Her fingers tightened around the trigger and I held my breath, steeling myself for the shock. I saw her squeeze the trigger, and I stifled a scream as the shock jolted and trembled throughout my body. My body shook uncontrollably from the shock, causing my head to smash against the wall, and darkness flooded through me, and then I felt nothing at all.

_My eyes popped open and I gazed around wildly as I breathed heavily. I sat up frantically, confused as to what had happened before I fell asleep and how I had gotten here, but everything around me was pitch black, and I didn’t see anyone around me. Then a single thought spliced through my panic, “Fred,” my mind cried, as I remembered that he was here just beside me just a second ago, and now he was gone._

_“Daph, look out!” I heard a familiar voice scream from behind me. Dazed, I turned around and faced the direction of the voice, and saw Velma hovering before me, only it was just her head suspended in the air, floating as if she were an apparition._

_“Velma!” I shrieked. “VELMA! What is happening to me!? What happened to you?”_

_“Like, ZOINKS Daph! Watch out, she’s coming!”_

_I whipped my head around to the direction from where I could hear Shaggy speaking to me, and was shocked to see that like Velma, Shaggy too was floating before me in the form of his head. Hanging beside him was Scooby Doo, who was whimpering and crying as he stared at me, whining as if he knew something that I didn’t._

_“What is going on, you guys!?” I screamed. “Who did this to you?”_

_“There is no time to explain, Daphne!” Velma cried. “She is coming for you next! Be careful!”_

_“Velma, who are you talking about?!” I begged. “Please, tell me!”_

_But as I screamed and cried at Velma and Shaggy and Scooby’s spirit, I watched as my friends drew close together and their faces blended together, melting away to morph into a giant outline of one single, terrifying person who eyed me with two beady, shining blue eyes. The figure laughed, and then shrieked, loud and primitive, before advancing towards where I laid. My body was paralyzed as I struggled to move._

_“I have been waiting for you, Daphne,” the voice snickered. “Now, prepare to face your end!”_

_As the figure stood above me and raised her arm above her head, I screamed, watching as her hand descended towards me, closer and closer and closer, until she grasped at my neck and –_

I shot up from the ground as adrenaline ricocheted throughout my body, causing me to shake and convulse in terror. I glanced around hysterically, trying to locate Fred, but it was dark, and I began to shake again as the feeling of déjà vu crept stealthily through me.

“Daph! Daphne, are you okay?”

I jerked towards the direction of where I could hear Velma’s voice faintly calling to me, relieved to hear my best friend’s voice, but I froze when I spotted her, my body stiff at the sight of Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby all gazing at me as they sat trapped inside a tall glass block, dozens of feet from where I was standing.

It was then that I glimpsed the familiar buildings spread out all around me, and I felt the hair on the back of my neck bristle as I realized that I was standing in the middle of the street in downtown Coolsville.

“You guys! I am so glad to see you three!” I cried. “But what is going on? Who did that to you? And do you know where Fred is?!”

Velma shook her head sadly, cupping her hands around her mouth so I could hear her through the glass. “Daphne, there is something you should know – “

Velma’s warning was punctured by the sound of a woman laughing from behind me. I felt my hand instinctively clench into a fist as I slowly turned to face the woman, but I could only see the outline of her body as she was hidden in the shadows of a building. I could feel my head spinning as I realized that this was the woman who had attacked Fred and me, and it suddenly dawned on me that this was Sherry, who we had earlier established as the culprit and mastermind behind this entire scheme.

“Sherry, how could you do this to us!” I began, my voice cracking with hurt and despair. “We trusted you after you asked for our help! But mark my words, you won’t get away with this! Now you let my friends go, and tell me what you did to Fred!”

But the woman just laughed again, and she began to stroll out of the shadows of the building slowly. “Sherry, huh? Boy Daphne, you and your friends are a lot dumber than I originally thought!”

My forehead creased together in confusion, and I watched as the figure ambled away from the building, stepping closer and closer to where I was standing. When the woman emerged from the shadows she stepped under a street light, fully illuminated, and I gasped as I took in the long, curly blonde hair that cascaded past her shoulders, the naturally pink rosy cheeks, and the smile that revealed her straight white teeth, all prim and proper like a row of white chicklets.

“Jeepers, no way,” I uttered, stumbling as I took a few steps back. “No, it just can’t be –“

_Shaina._


	20. Answers

“Shaina, how is it that you’re the one who’s behind all this?!” I asked, my eyes widening in shock as I stared at Shaina standing before me. “We thought that Sherry was the culprit!”

Shaina smiled, clearly enjoying the fact that she had flabbergasted me. “And that’s exactly what I wanted you all to think all along, ya dumb ginger!” Shaina bellowed. “I framed Sherry by placing those microchips in the ice cream at her diner. I knew that it would only be a matter of time before I could get the police to nab her as the suspect, even if it did take me a little longer than I would have liked. I’ll admit that it threw me off when nerd-breath over there – “ Shaina gestured towards Velma, who had her palms pressed against the smooth glass cage as she watched Shaina and I, “found the microchip in that ice cream sample, but even then, I managed to make it work to my advantage. I put in a little tip to the Coosville PD, and they made quick work of Sherry for me!”

I gasped – now the pieces were starting to fall into place. “So you were the one who called the Coolsville PD and reported the microchips in the ice cream, and not Velma as Officer Smith told us!” I cried, pointing an accusatory finger in Shaina’s direction.

Shaina laughed, as if I had just told a great joke. “Yep – guilty as charged. I just disguised my voice and that dumb Officer Smith ate it up in a heartbeat.”

My thoughts whirled as I struggled to keep up with the events unraveling before me. I flashed back to earlier today, when Officer Smith had told us that the ring leader of the zombies had a name that started with an _“S,”_ or an _“Sh”_ sounding name, and I felt a shiver snake down my spine. “Is that why Officer Smith thought that Sherry was the one behind all of this when we saw him earlier? He was confused since your names sound so similar, wasn’t he?”

Again, Shaina laughed – I was growing tired of hearing this girl’s laugh grating against my ears. “Wow, I guess you aren’t completely stupid after all, unlike that dumb Officer Smith: he doesn’t know his own ass from his elbow! Yeah, I got lucky. Officer Smith never saw me during our attack on the town, but he overheard someone say my name, and since my name sounds so similar to Sherry’s, I think he just assumed that I was her. I really am pleased with how well this all came together; while you and your stupid friends and Coolsville PD were busy watching Sherry and trying to piece together clues, I managed to plan and pull off the takeover of the century!”

I tried to ignore the wave of guilt that washed over me as I realized that we had incorrectly pegged Sherry this entire time. I grinded my teeth angrily as I eyed Shaina and her perfect long blonde hair and her sparkling blue eyes. “How did you manage to get all those microchips? Did you buy them from some sort of twisted scientist?” I asked through clenched teeth. I didn’t want Shaina to know that she was getting the best of me right now, but I really was curious about all the fine details of this mystery.

Shaina rolled her eyes, visibly annoyed for the first time during our entire encounter. She thrusted her thumb in Velma’s direction again. “You must be forgetting that your dorky best friend over there isn’t the only smart girl in town. Before I ever kicked Velma’s ass at the science fair a few weeks ago, I was busy designing the microchips. The only flaw was that they needed to remain at a freezing temperature in order to work, which you and your stupid boyfriend figured out the other day when you were trapped in my cabin,” Shaina said this with a snarl, then continued, “I never could calculate how to work around this – I might be a genius, but we have our shortcomings, too – but it ended up working out when I decided on using Sherry’s ice cream as the primary target for ingestion. And from there, it’s all history.”

Shaina and I jumped, startled by the sound of Velma screaming and pounding her fist against the glass cage. “There is one thing I could never figure out: how do you control the citizens through the microchip?” Velma questioned Shaina. “Are the microchips coded with a specific set of instructions that a zombie obeys once a chip is ingested? Or are you controlling them through other means?”

Shaina smirked, her gaze darting between both Velma and me as she spoke. “I really am impressed that I could create such a microchip that the brilliant Velma Dinkley could never decode. Yes, once the chips are digested, the citizen instantly becomes a zombie by losing all sense of independent thought and emotion, but I do have a control panel that allows me to dictate certain actions.” And here Shaina unfurled her hand, spreading her fingers apart like a starfish to reveal a tiny, sleek silver object that resembled a remote control. “Whenever I want the zombies to do something specific, I speak into this controller, but for the most part, they are programmed with the intent to obey me…and _to harm or kill._ ”

I shook my head in disgust as Shaina easily and candidly admitted to everything, as if she were discussing something as mundane as the weather. “But I don’t understand – what’s your motive? What do you have to gain by turning everyone into zombies tonight?”

Shaina narrowed her eyes into a glare at my question. “What kind of question is that, Daphne!? I have everything to gain. You see, I have had this planned out since I transferred to your high school at the start of this school year; in fact, that is the precise reason as to why I moved here. I remember reading about Coolsville and the amazing ‘Mystery Inc.’ in the newspaper, and to be honest, you meddling kids made me sick. I hated seeing your fake plastic smiles plastered across the front page of my newspaper so often, and I wanted to do something about it. I’ve always toyed with the idea of creating a microchip to take over an entire town of people, and I thought that if I could infiltrate your town first and take you kids out immediately, then I would be unstoppable, and eventually, I planned to take over the entire world!”

Shaina smiled, continuing, “So I moved here, intent on taking you all down, but there was just one problem – Fred.”

My heart stuttered.

“You see, when I came to your school, I really was intent on taking all of Mystery Inc., down, but then I laid eyes on Fred, and he was the most gorgeous guy I had ever seen,” Shaina said dreamily. I could feel the rage mounting within me as Shaina talked about Fred, and then she suddenly scowled at me, her blue eyes flaring with anger. “But I could immediately tell that he was all goo-goo over you, and it was so damn obvious that you felt the same way about him too, although you were too gutless to ever act on it. In fact, the whole damn school could see that you were both crazy for each other: everyone could see it except for you guys, for whatever reason. But I wanted him, and told myself it didn’t matter that he had eyes for you, so I devised a plan.”

I began trembling; I felt cold all over, as if my body was completely submerged under thousands of ice chips. My mouth tasted metallic, like copper pennies were filling behind my teeth, and I was afraid that I was going to throw up right here as I heard Shaina confess.

“Just as I created the microchips that converted people into zombies,” Shaina explained, “I designed a microchip to make Freddy fall in love with me, and one day, I slipped it into his water in the school cafeteria when he wasn’t watching. And it worked – for a little while. It seemed as though he had completely forgotten about you, and we were so happy together. My plan was to rule over Coolsville with him by my side, and we would have been unstoppable! But then he came to me a few days ago and told me that it was over between us because he was in love with someone else, and he was so sorry, but he couldn’t even remember what had made him interested in me in the first place.”

Here Shaina paused, her lips set in firm line, and her blue eyes began to cloud over. I seriously wondered if she was going to cry until she glowered at me again. “Apparently, when he ran into you in the hallway that day, you touched him, and that pulled him out of the microchip’s trance.”

I felt myself flinch as I physically reacted to this, vividly recalling again how our collision in the hallway at school had literally felt electric. I briefly dwelled upon the memory of Fred’s arms wrapped around me and the way my lips had accidently brushed against his neck when I looked up at him in shock, and I remembered how we had stared at each other, unmoving, long after the bell had rung, and how I had finally stepped away from him, breaking the trance between us. _So, in a way, we both really did feel something between us that day,_ I thought.

“So if it’s any consolation for you, Daphne, you can rest easy knowing that Fred really didn’t have any feelings for me, and he’s only ever cared about you,” Shaina hissed sullenly. “Our entire relationship was completely artificial.”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Velma jumping up and down excitedly from behind the glass cage, and she was mouthing, “MY HYPOTHESIS! MY HYPOTHESIS WAS CORRECT! I KNEW I WASN’T WRONG!”

“And while that may sound like good news, that actually spells bad news for you, my dear,” Shaina continued, her smile twisted into a sneer. “You see, I always get what I want, and I am _not_ used to being told ‘no.’ Since a few days ago, I’ve made it my top priority to destroy _you_ , and your dumb boyfriend, too! Capturing your friends at my cabin was the cherry on top of the cake –“

“Like, I think she botched that. I think what she means is, ‘the icing on the cake,’ or like, maybe, ‘the cherry on top of the ice cream sundae.’ And that reminds me, I am starvin’!” Shaggy whimpered. He leaned against the glass cage as he rubbed his stomach to emphasize his hunger.

“Rah rah, I’m starvin’, roo!” Scooby said, licking his lips with his tongue.

“- and now that I have you here before me,” Shaina continued, oblivious to Shaggy and Scooby’s interjection, “I am going to get my sweet, sweet revenge. I am going to _destroy you – by using the one person you love!_ ”

I felt my knees buckle before me and I stumbled, as if my feet couldn’t hold me up at Shaina’s threat. “Don’t you dare think about hurting Fred, you monster!” I shrieked, stepping towards Shaina with my fist raised above my head.

Shaina chuckled, obviously amused at how she had gotten a rise out of me so easily. “Oh Daphne, on the contrary. I am not going to hurt Freddy at all; in fact, Freddy is the one who is going to hurt _you_!”

I stopped, confused by Shaina’s comment.

“You see Daphne, after I captured you and Fred back there, I offered Freddy a choice,” Shaina spoke slowly, as if she explaining a simple concept to a toddler. “I told him he could he either digest a microchip and become a zombie, or watch as I killed you right here in the middle of downtown Coolsville. He didn’t even hesitate with his decision, the sweet thing: he just begged me to leave you alone. He rambled on and on about how you mean so much to him, and how he would never forgive himself if something happened to you. He swallowed that microchip quicker than an ibuprofen: I have never seen someone ingest something so fast.”

My eyes were brimming with tears as I listened to Shaina, and my breathing was uneven as I attempted to slow my beating heart, which ached so badly that I thought it was going to literally crack wide open inside my chest. “How. Dare. YOU.” I roared, biting off each word heatedly. My hands were quaking at my sides, and I was so enraged, I wanted to scream at Shaina until my voice was gone. “YOU ARE TRULY EVIL! I’LL MAKE SURE YOU REGRET THIS, YOU LITTLE TROLL!”  
I began to run towards Shaina, fully intending to tackle her and beat her endlessly, but she stepped back, putting some distance between us, and wagged her finger at me as though I were a misbehaving dog. “I wouldn’t do that if I were you!” she taunted. “It will only make what I want to do next even more painful.”

But I had heard enough: between Shaina keeping my friends captive and now turning Fred into a zombie, I was blinded by pure emotion and instinct. As I continued to race towards her, Shaina hastily raised the sleek controller to her lips and barked into the speaker, “Fred, get out here and take care of Daphne this instant!”

The sound of a low moan coming from behind me caused me to stop in my tracks. From behind the glass cage, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby’s jaws dropped, which made my body go numb with terror. Slowly, I turned around to face the source of the noise, gasping in horror and grief when I saw the familiar white t-shirt and blue jeans, which were now smeared with dirt and dried blood, the blonde hair, and the blue eyes, which were normally a source of comfort for me, but now shone with a menacing and bright, piercing cobalt colored light. 

“LIKE, ZOINKS! The Fredster is not lookin’ so hot right now!” Shaggy screeched. Scooby lowered his head, whining and pawing at the ground in frustration. 

Shaina cackled with delight as I slumped to the pavement; seeing Freddy transformed into a zombie had consumed me with fear and sadness, and my knees had finally given out before me. As Fred, or what was once Fred, staggered and swayed towards me, his eyes cold and displaying no hint of recognition as he watched me, Shaina raised the speaker to her lips and growled, uttering just three words –

“KILL. HER. _NOW._ ”


	21. Love Always Wins

“What are you waiting for, Fred? Kill her now!”

After the words escaped Shaina’s mouth, everything went still: Fred paused mid-lurch, his arms frozen and his eyes gleaming, Velma’s jaw dropped as she watched, aghast, Shaggy and Scooby covered their eyes, and I held my breath, my body taut as my gaze remained fixed upon Fred. In the quiet and almost tranquil moment, I fleetingly thought, _There is no way Fred would ever hurt me –_ and then, just as sudden as time had seemed to stop, Fred instantaneously threw his head back and roared, then advanced towards me as I sat recoiling on the ground.

Behind me, I could hear Shaggy and Velma pounding frantically against the walls of the glass cage, determined to help but powerless to do anything. “Daphne, RUN!” Velma screeched.

Even as Fred hurtled towards me, his eyes emotionless and burning at me intensely as he ran closer and closer to me, I desperately clung to the idea that Fred would never hurt me, and told myself, _This is Fred – Fred, who’s been my best friend for years. Why would he listen to some crazy evil troll and do something like –_

As if Velma could read my thoughts, she shrieked, “Daphne, this is not the real Freddy, and if you don’t move now, you could seriously get hurt!”

Velma’s words struck me like a thunderbolt, and it felt as though a light had switched on in my mind and illuminated everything that was happening. I hastily flew to my feet, stumbling when my brain registered Fred as he hurried closer and closer to me, and before I could flinch or have a chance to move, he was before me, tackling me so that I dropped back onto the ground.

I heard the sound of Shaina’s laughter drift from somewhere behind me as my eyes stung with tears. I gawked at Fred as he loomed before me, my heart sinking in my chest as I finally accepted that this wasn’t _my_ Fred: the Fred standing before me was savage and bloodthirsty, and nothing even close to resembling the Fred who made me feel safe and secure and loved.

“C’mon Fred, finish her off!” Shaina bellowed.

“Like, I can’t look!” Shaggy wailed. He covered his eyes with his hands, but a second later he splayed his fingers apart just enough so he could still watch.

As Fred raised his fist above his head, I threw my hands up defensively. “Freddy, it’s me – please stop!” I implored, my voice shaky as I cried. “This isn’t the real you! Please don’t hurt me!” 

But it was as if I hadn’t even spoken. Fred swiped at me and I barely dodged his fist as it flew past my ear. He lunged at me again with his other fist, but I rolled away, putting a few inches between us, and managed to scramble back onto my feet.

Even though I knew it was pointless, I tried again to reason with Fred. “Freddy, please listen to me! It’s me, Daphne, remember me?! I’m your best friend!”

Shaina chortled, amused at my attempt. “Daphne, your attempts are futile. He has digested the microchip, and as long as I have this controller, he is under my command now!”

As Fred continued to swing at me, I somehow managed to evade every blow. Luckily, the microchip seemed to slow Fred down a bit, but my ankle was still stinging from the fall earlier, and I knew I couldn’t keep this up for long. I felt my heart pang in my chest at the realization that Shaina was going to win, and I lamented how ironic it was that Fred had swallowed a microchip to save my life, only so he would be forced to turn around and kill me.

Just as I started wondering when my luck would run out, I got my answer when my ankle rolled beneath me and I tumbled to the ground, wincing as my ankle throbbed. Fred stepped towards me slowly, glowering.

“I’ve had enough of this!” Shaina barked into the speaker. “Freddy, strangle her now! Daphne, it’s time you die a slow and painful death at the hands of your boyfriend, and I am going to take pleasure in watching every single second!” 

And without hesitation Fred moved closer to me as I attempted to shrink away from him, but he had me cornered: I was trapped on the ground, and running away wasn’t an option as long as my ankle was injured.

_This is it,_ I thought, _I can’t believe this is how it ends for me. Damn Shaina and these stupid microchips! I can’t believe she made microchips that forced people into zombies and made Fred fall in love with her, and –_

As I thought about the microchips, something in my brain clicked as I recalled what Shaina had stated earlier about creating a microchip to make Fred fall in love with her: _“Apparently, when he ran into you in the hallway that day, you touched him, and that pulled him out of the microchip’s trance.”_ Evidently, Fred had been under Shaina’s influence via microchip once, and I had somehow managed to snap him out of it then. What if I tried to do the same thing again, right here and now? I knew that it was a bold move, but at this point, I was running out of options.

“FRED! Just listen to me for a second!” I tried again, thrusting my hands in front of my face despairingly as I spoke. “Deep down inside, I know that the real Fred Jones is still there, and he would never do something like this! Don’t you remember solving mysteries with the gang and being our leader, and how you told me the other day that you feel like a crappy leader? But you’re not a creepy leader, Freddy, and we need you to snap out of this right now so you can lead us again, and help us stop Shaina!”

As I spoke, I observed Fred carefully, hoping to see some sort of change as he registered my words. While his eyes remained cold and flared with that blue glare, I did notice him pause as he listened to me. Despite Shaina’s orders, he was now standing over me, but he made no attempt to touch me as I spoke.

Encouraged, I continued, the words tumbling out of my mouth as I spoke quickly: “And do you remember when we ran into each other at school and it was a mess and I almost fell but you caught me? We both felt something that day, and I knew it even before Shaina told me we broke the microchip’s trance then, and I know you felt it, too, or you wouldn’t have broken up with Shaina.”

Fred balled his hand into a fist, but he paused, his face twitching as I spoke.

“And remember how we always protect each other in every mystery, and how we fell asleep huddled together in that cold cabin in the woods, and how you _kissed me_ – “

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Velma raise her eyebrow, and she smirked, turning to Shaggy and Scooby. “Why do I get the sense that we missed something here?” she asked.

Shaina’s eyes looked as though they were about to bulge out of her head as I spoke. “THAT IS ENOUGH! Daphne, I have told you over and over again that there is no way you can logically appeal to Fred, and I have had it with the two of you reminiscing about your cute little relationship. Fred, it’s time to strangle her, now!”

Fred looked as though he didn’t hear Shaina at first, as he watched me pensively as his fists clenched and unclenched while I spoke: it truly did seem as though he was considering what I said. But then he reached for me and gripped my wrists with his hands and squeezed, laughing as he did so. I winced, but didn’t fight it: I was determined to prove to Shaina that she couldn’t break me so easily.

Then Fred removed his hands from my wrists, and at first I sighed with relief, but then he slowly raised his hands towards my neck, his eyes piercing and cruel. And as Velma and Shaggy and Scooby screamed and pounded against the cage glass window and as Shaina’s laugh again splintered my eardrums, I knew that I should fight back since this wasn’t the real Fred, but I ignored all of that and placed my hands on Fred’s face, looking him squarely in the eye as I did so, and he froze, and his hands stopped drifting towards my neck and dropped to his side. He gazed at me, nonplussed, as a wave of recognition flickered across his face, just briefly, just for a moment. 

I wearily sighed, then bemoaned, “But honestly, I’m starting to see that it’s too late for all of that. You see, there’s something I should have told you a long, long time ago, but I was always afraid that you would just laugh at me and we would lose our friendship, so I kept quiet. But I guess that now is as good as time as any to tell you, and if I wait any longer, it might be too late. So here it is, Fred Jones – _I love you,_ or at least, the you that isn’t a zombie. I love the way you keep us all safe during a mystery, and the way you put so much detail into your traps, and the way you gave me your jacket when we were trapped even though it meant you would be cold, and I love the way you kissed me. I love you, and I am so sorry it took me this long to say anything.”

And then I wrapped my hands around his neck and pulled him in for a hug, squeezing him tight against my chest as I had when we were trapped in the cabin, as if I could transfer all of the love I felt for him by holding him close. I felt his body react as he tensed beneath my touch, but otherwise Fred remained unmoving as he made no attempt to hurt me. At first, his face remained neutral, revealing no emotion or thought. But as I held him, I noticed that his eyes gradually looked less intense, almost duller, as if the inhuman blue light behind his eyes was being extinguished. I watched as his icy cold glare melted and his eyes were restored to the clear, crystal blue irises I had grown to love, and the lively twinkle that usually dwelled there was reignited. The muscles in his face began to visibly relax, and then Fred shook his head, as if someone had told him something shocking and he couldn’t fathom what he was hearing.

My arms were crawling in goosebumps when he placed his lips against my ear and whispered, “You…you really do _love_ me?”

I couldn’t stop the sob that escaped from my throat. “Oh Freddy, of course I love you!” I exclaimed, staring into his now human eyes as I spoke, and I marveled at how all trace of indifference and coldness was now replaced with tenderness and affection. “I’ve always loved you, and I wish I hadn’t waited so long to tell you!”

Fred grinned, and he pressed his forehead against mine as he stared at me, his eyes twinkling. He drew an unsteady breath, and his fingers softly traced the spot above my eye that was bruised from earlier, his eyes pooling with tears. “Well, I’m glad you feel that way,” he spoke softly, his voice barely above a whisper. “Because I love you, too.”

And then he took my face in his hands and he kissed me, and the kiss was just as passionate and tender and intense as the kiss we had shared in the abandoned house, just before Shaina had kidnapped and attacked us. I felt my heart expand in my chest, and I pulled Fred closer to me, running my hands up his back as I felt myself drowning in this kiss. I felt myself getting lost in the feel of him, in the heat in his skin as it sparked beneath my fingertips, and how he tasted warm and spicy like cinnamon, and the way his body was trembling when he broke away and grinned at me, his smile gently spreading beneath my lips. _I love you, too_ , he kept saying in between kisses, _I can’t believe I waited so long to say that,_ and I felt something break open and pool inside of my ribcage, something that felt simultaneously like surrender and hope. And when we finally broke apart we gripped each other tightly, holding onto each other like we would never let go, as if we were hanging on for dear life.

We finally broke apart for good when we jumped, startled by the laughter and cheering and whooping and hollering of our friends, who were still watching from behind the smooth panels of the glass cage.

Shaggy whistled. “Okay Fredster, see?! _I told you_ that you should’ve told her sooner!”

I laughed, feeling lighter and lighter by the second – any minute now and it felt as though I could float away. “Wait, you talked to Shaggy about me?!” I asked Fred.

Fred instantly blushed, his cheeks a deep crimson red. “Well, I –“ he stammered.

“And what about my hypothesis, Daph?!” Velma yelled, laughing as she spoke. “I TOLD YOU! I told you that my hypothesis is never incorrect!”

Now it was my turn to blush as Fred looked at me, his eyes twinkling. “Okay, I guess we’re both guilty of asking our friends for advice!”

“Well well well, isn’t this just so _precious_ ,” Shaina mocked, causing Shaggy and Velma and Scooby to stop clapping and forcing Fred and I to snap our heads up at Shaina. “Good for you for breaking the microchip once again. I suppose it’s true when they say that love always wins, huh? That is just so beautiful and inspiring… _and it makes me sick._ ”

Fred stood, helping me to my feet as he rose. I tried not to grimace in pain as I stood on my ankle, and instead I focused on glaring at Shaina as she spoke.

“But it doesn’t even matter,” Shaina continued. “Because now you both just pissed me off even more, and I’m running out of time to finish what I set out to accomplish. Fred, I was prepared to offer you immunity, but you’ve made your choice – now prepare to join your girlfriend, because you are both about to die!”

“It’s too late, Shaina,” Fred scowled. “You obviously couldn’t beat me and Daphne, and there is no way you are going to win now!”

“Oh really?” Shaina chuckled. “That’s what you think! Maybe I couldn’t convert you for good, Fred, and maybe I didn’t successfully force you to fall in love with me, but I have a whole army of Coolsville citizens who are ready to follow me obediently as zombies for the rest of eternity, and I am going to make sure that the first thing they do is wipe out all of Mystery Inc!”

Shaina snapped her fingers as if she were disciplining a dog who was misbehaving, and for a few agonizing seconds we waited, my stomach twisted in knots. Then I heard the sound of moaning, quietly at first, but it became louder as we were suddenly completely surrounded by zombies, who were stumbling and swaying as they emerged like hermits from the shadows of the buildings surrounding us.

“Jeepers,” I gulped, as Fred and I shrank away from the zombies and looked around wildly for an escape. “I’ve never been so afraid to see everyone from Coolsville before now!”

Shaina smiled, bringing the speaker to her lips, and snarled,

“Get. Them.”


	22. Velma to the Rescue

After Shaina spoke, the zombies didn’t flinch or hesitate; in an instant they surged towards us, some tripping and bumping clumsily against each other as they ran, and others rushing quickly as they gazed at us ravenously. Before I could even process what to do next, I felt a sharp pain shooting down my back and staggered to the ground as a zombie began to beat me with his fists. I rolled onto my back and shielded myself with my hands, but before the zombie could strike me again, I saw Fred tackle him, and they began to wrestle on the pavement as they struggled to overpower each other.

“Daphne, run!” Fred yelped. “I’ll take care of these clowns!”

I hesitated, not wanting to abandon Freddy as he kicked the zombie in the groin and stood to brawl with two more zombies who were advancing towards him quickly, but I knew with my ankle injury that I wouldn’t be able to help, and if anything, I would only hold Fred back if he continued trying to protect me. But as I scoped out the scene around me, all I saw were zombies loping towards us from all directions, and I knew that it would only be a matter of seconds before they descended upon me. Regardless, I dragged myself away from Freddy and the zombies, crawling away as quickly and discreetly as possible.

But apparently I wasn’t discreet enough, because as I was wriggling away as Fred fought off the zombies, I saw Shaina raise the speaker to her lips, speaking inaudibly as she gestured towards me. Not even a second later, a zombie approached me, placing his feet directly in my path and impeding any chance of escape.

“Prepare…to… _die_!” he hissed, and before I could scream or beg or cry, his brawny hands locked around my hips, and he hoisted me high above his head and tossed me in the air, as if I were a feather. I sailed through the sky and past the fingertips of zombies as they reached up to grab me before I stopped, crashing into a glass window pane, and I slid onto the ground, my cheek smashing against the cold pavement so hard that I could see bursts of blue and white light crackle and dance before my eyes.

“LIKE, ZOINKS! DAPH, ARE YOU OKAY?!”

Wearily, I rose my head and gazed up towards Shaggy, who was blinking at me from behind the glass cage; apparently, the zombie had tossed me right into the glass cage that contained my friends.

Velma and Scooby rushed to stand beside Shaggy, and they joined him in eyeing me sympathetically. Velma pressed her palm against the glass window, and I tiredly raised my own palm in response, aligning it against the outline of her hand. The physical and literal barrier between us made me feel as though a gaping hole was tearing through my chest.

“Ohhh Daph, it pains me to watch you and Freddy being destroyed while we stand by helplessly!” Velma cried, her eyes moist with tears. “Are you okay?”

“Ughh, I think I’m mostly fine,” I grunted. “But I’m not sure how much longer either of us will last, and I’m not getting too far with this ankle injury!”

“I know this may be an unreasonable request, but you need to see if you can somehow open or break this glass cage and set us free,” Velma spoke hurriedly, her eyes darting between me and Shaina as she spoke. “I have had a significant amount of time to think during our time being captured, and I _may_ have finally figured out how to reverse the microchips and stop Shaina before it’s too late! But we need to get out of here in order to help you.”

Before I could even respond, I heard Shaina bellow, “SHE IS OVER THERE, BY HER FRIENDS – GET HER!”

I jerked my head up in time to see a throng of zombies glaring at me, and for a moment we had a stare down as my eyes absorbed the dozens and dozens of zombies soaking me in and studying me, staring at me with contempt as if I was a cockroach that couldn’t be exterminated, but then they started running, moving together as a cohesive unit, a gaggle of limbs and mouths and blue beady eyes as they surged towards me, looking bloodthirsty and purposeful and vengeful.

As I watched the zombies scurry towards me, an idea clicked in my mind.

“Velma, Shaggy, Scooby, stand back!” I commanded, hoisting myself off the ground and leaning against the smooth glass panel for balance. “I think I know a way to get you guys out of there, but be prepared to take cover!”

Before any of them had a chance to pry the plan out of me or protest, I took a few steps towards the zombies as they rushed forward to meet me. I staggered as my ankle burned and flared, but I hobbled forward regardless, fighting against the burning pain. I spread my arms wide and cocked my head, emitting what I hoped appeared to be a cocky, arrogant swagger, and yelled, “COME AND GET ME THEN, MORONS!” The zombies grumbled and screeched as if retorting in response, and I grinned as they doubled their gait: enraging them was my exact intent.

Somewhere in the distance I could hear Fred yelling and crying and begging me to stop, and I think I heard Shaggy and Scooby echoing him as Velma implored me to consider a different way, but I tried to block all of them out because I knew I would lose my resolve if I broke my gaze as I watched the zombies come closer and closer, so close that I could clearly see their chipped, yellowed fingernails and feel their sticky warm breath tickle my nostrils, and at the last conceivable moment before they could smash into me, I dropped my arms and plunged to the ground, tucking myself into a ball and rolling out of the way of the stampede as dozens and dozens of zombies slammed into the glass cage.

“NOOOO! YOU IDIOTS!” Shaina screamed. “What were you thinking!?”  
As Shaina continued to squawk and berate the zombies I held my breath, watching the zombies piling up as they collided into each other and continued to smash and press up against the glass window pane. After the last zombie flew into the back of the zombie ahead of him I watched, and for a moment everything was still: not a single zombie moved, and I didn’t even blink as I gazed at the glass cage. Then, I saw the faintest outline of a crack, and I couldn’t stop the grin that was spreading across my face as I watched the crack begin to snake along the surface of the window, branching off into other cracks so that it looked as though an intricate spider web was etched onto the glass cage, and then all at once there was a loud shattering sound as clear glass pieces rained down like snowflakes, plummeting towards the zombies and Shaggy and Velma and Scooby.

The smile was wiped off my face as I watched the glass shards rain onto my friends, who had thankfully taken my warning and covered their heads with their arms, but still crumpled to the ground, unconscious as glass pieces drizzled all around them. A sharp, metallic taste coated the roof of my mouth as I realized that I may have freed my friends, but it came with a price.

I tensed as I felt a hand rest upon my shoulder, and looked up to see Fred, who’s face had paled as he stared at the disintegrated glass cage: he undoubtedly shared my concern for Velma and Shaggy and Scooby.

Fred pulled me to my feet as I called out for Velma and Shaggy and Scooby, but it was hard to tell if they were okay beneath the rubble and the zombies’ bodies strewn along the ground. Fred pulled me against his chest comfortingly as I felt my body growing heavy and numb.

“THIS IS ENOUGH!” Shaina screeched, eyeing Fred and I as we huddled together. “I have exactly five minutes before the full moon is high in the sky, and I can not be late in harnessing these citizens as zombies FOREVER! I am going to eliminate you both NOW! SEIZE THEM!”

I fleetingly wondered who Shaina was barking orders at since her zombie minions were sprawled out all over the pavement, but suddenly I felt a strong hand wrenching me away roughly from Fred. As two tree stump like arms locked around my torso, effectively securing my hands at my sides, I gazed up into the face of the silver haired ponytail guy who had tried to hurt Fred and I in the cabin. My eyes widened as I saw Fred being similarly contained by the bald man.

Shaina stalked towards Fred and me slowly and deliberately, as if she were a lioness who had honed in on her prey. In one swift motion she extracted a knife from the back pocket of her jeans, and she smiled menacingly as she drew closer and closer to me.

Fred struggled and fought against the bald man vigorously, even kicking and digging his heels into the man’s shins, but the bald man didn’t even flinch. Fred screamed, “Shaina, leave Daphne out of this! It’s me that you want – leave her alone!” 

Shaina pretended to wipe a fake tear from her cheek. “Awww, _poor Freddy._ Isn’t that so sweet? Unfortunately, you are wrong – out of all five of you annoying brats, I have wanted Ms. Blake dead and gone the most.”

Shaina thrusted her face inches away from mine, and our gazes locked as she spoke, spittle flying from her mouth and landing on my cheeks as she exclaimed, “I have been waiting to see you die since the day I moved here and I figured out Fred loved you. It’s a shame your dorky friend Velma and your clownish friends Shaggy and Scooby had to go first, but if it’s any consolation, you will be joining them in just a few seconds.”

Shaina reached for her back pocket and retrieved a giant butcher knife. My heart began hammering in my chest, and my mouth dried up as I eyed the knife. The blade in Shaina’s hand threw a glint of light from the full moon, which hung over us ominously, a stark reminder of the impending doom that awaited the rest of Coolsville momentarily. My ears began ringing with the sound of Fred’s pleas and screams and Shaina’s throaty laughter.

Shaina pointed her finger at Fred and barked, “Tony, keep Fred still and make sure he is watching this; in fact, force his eyeballs open if you must! I want him to see every second of this before he is killed next.”

And then without warning Shaina turned to me and hit me, her palm smacking against my right cheek, and I felt my face fracture in a supernova of pain below my eye. She hits me again, this time on the other cheek, and I blinked through a sheet of tears, and when I could finally see clearly, I saw her leveling the knife in my face, waving it around with a smile.

“Any last words, Daphne?” Shaina intoned, her voice disgustingly sweet for someone who was about to commit a murder.

I faced Fred, who was still detained by the bald man, and I took in the sight of him looking defeated as the bald man kept Fred’s eyes pried open with his fingers, per Shaina’s command. His shoulders were sagging, and he was biting his lip, as if he were trying to hold back his tears.

“I love you,” I spoke gently, maintaining eye contact with Fred. I wanted him to be the last person I saw before Shaina stabbed me, and I hoped that he could see the sincerity in my eyes as I spoke, too. “And I am so sorry it took me so long to say it.”

Shaina spat in my face, and in spite of myself, I cringed. “Pathetic to the very end,” she uttered, shaking her head condescendingly. She reached for her back pocket and began, “In just three minutes you will be dead, and all of Coolsville will be zombies, and I will no longer need this damn speaker to control – “

But she stopped mid-sentence, her eyes suddenly ablaze as she wildly patted her jean pockets. “It’s gone!” she shrieked, panicking, “Where is my control speaker?!”

“HEY, SHAINA!”

Every single head bobbed up in response to Velma’s voice, which was wafting towards us from beneath the streetlight where Shaina had been standing during the zombie attack. Adrenaline and hope surged through my veins as Velma smiled at Shaina triumphantly, as a defiant looking Scooby and Shaggy flanked her side. Velma raised her arm, waving the sleek speaker in the air, the smirk still pasted on her face as she coolly observed Shaina, who began to visibly sweat as her eyes bulged with panic.

“Are you looking for something, Shaina?!” Velma taunted. “How did a genius like you ever manage to drop this in your haste to torment my friends?!”

“You MONSTER,” Shaina howled, her eyes narrowing at Velma. Shaina dropped the knife and it clattered onto the ground. “YOU GIVE THAT BACK TO ME THIS INSTANT! I need it to control the zombies!”

“Not anymore, you don’t!” Velma replied. Locking eyes with Shaina, Velma threw the speaker onto the pavement, grinding it beneath her heel as if she were grinding the butt of a cigarette with her shoe. When Velma removed her shoe, the speaker was sparking, blue sparks and lights dancing around the controller, and a small pillar of smoke billowed from the damaged electronic.

“NOOOO!” Shaina cried, racing towards Velma and Shaggy and Scooby. “HOW DARE YOU! YOU WON’T SUCCEED!”

“Take a look around, Shaina – I already have!” Velma smiled ecstatically.

Sure enough, the change was immediate; as I observed the zombies scattered on the ground, the blue light was slowly dissolving from their eyes, and it was replaced by a natural colored iris. Slowly, the zombies looked more and more human as their faces convulsed with emotion: the microchip had released its power over all the citizens. Suddenly, downtown Coolsville erupted with noise and chaos and confusion, as people began to cry with agony and scream for loved ones.

“Nonononono,” Shaina moaned, her eyes wild as she darted around Coolsville, frantically racing around in circles as she cried. “BUT I HAD TWO MINUTES UNTIL YOU WERE ALL UNDER MY CONTROL! THIS ISN’T POSSIBLE!”

Even though silver haired ponytail still held me in a tight grip, I couldn’t contain the smile that was stretching across my face, and I marveled at the light, airy feeling ballooning inside my chest. _This might be it,_ I thought, _Maybe we finally –_

But then Shaina turned towards me and Fred again, and snatched the knife up from the ground. “Well. If I can’t win Coolsville over as zombies, at least I can still kill you two!”

A hand grasped Shaina’s arm roughly, and Officer Smith, who looked disheveled but firm, spoke evenly, “Shaina, put the knife down and put your hands above your head where I can see them! You are under arrest. And you two goons better let go of those kids right now!” 

Silver haired ponytail and the bald man shoved Fred and I, causing us to totter forward. We watched the two men run, but they only got a few feet away before they were both tackled by two other Coolsville police officers. The cops swiftly handcuffed the two men and rattled off their rights in a monotone voice. In an instant, Fred and I rushed towards each other, and we were both sobbing as we wrapped our arms around each other and squeezed as if we would never let go. He framed my face in his hands and we kissed again, and relief flooded through me as I realized that we were finally, _finally_ safe.

I felt someone tapping my shoulder and pulled away from Fred, coming face-to-face with Velma, who had tears pouring down her cheeks. Shaggy and Scooby stood just behind her, appearing just as emotional. “We did it!” she cried, enveloping Fred and I in her arms. Shaggy and Scooby moved in around her, and they too pulled us in for a hug. I had never felt so warm and safe and secure as I did in this moment, wrapped up in this group hug with the gang at the conclusion of what was possibly our scariest mystery to date.

I laughed, feeling overwhelmed and bubbly with the amazing turn of events. “Velma, YOU did it! When you told me you had a plan in mind, I admit that I pictured something more complicated, but hey – I won’t complain!”

Velma beamed. “Well, I suppose it doesn’t take a genius to break a control panel!” she giggled.

“I’m just glad you guys are all okay after that glass cage shattered all over you!” Fred cried. “I thought you guys were goners!”

Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby began brushing pebbles of glass shards from their hair, exchanging smiles with each other as they did so. “Like, it takes a lot more than a little bit of glass to hold us down!” Shaggy smiled.

“Rah rah!” Scooby agreed, his tail thumping against the pavement with glee.

Officer Smith marched past us, with a handcuffed Shaina in tow. “Don’t worry kids, she’ll be put away for a long time!” he said. “Shaina, do you have anything to say for yourself?”

Shaina scowled, her eyes glowering at the ground beneath her feet. “Yeah! I was two minutes away from world domination, and I would have gotten away with it, if it weren’t for you meddling kids!”

Officer Smith rolled his eyes and mouthed, “predictable!” as we screamed with laughter: it felt so good to hear that one more time, and I was giddy with relief over the fact that we were all alive to see this mystery come to a close. 

“KIDS!” A warm, familiar voice floated towards us from the distance, and we all turned to see Sherry running towards us. Her cheeks were sliced with cuts and her auburn hair looked greasy, but she was grinning from ear to ear, and I had never seen her look happier. When she reached us, she gave us each an individual hug, tearing up as she said, “Thank you all so much for saving the town! I just knew you would be able to help us and stop this madness!”

When Sherry reached me, I hugged her tight, as if doing so would absolve me of ever thinking she was behind all of this. “Oh Sherry, we are so relieved you are okay! I am so sorry that this happened to you!”

“It’s okay, Daphne!” Sherry beamed. “All that matters is that now everyone in Coolsville is safe again, and I can reopen my diner and have all my customers return knowing I wasn’t the one behind all of this! I feel as though a weight has been lifted off my shoulders: I can’t wait to start serving up handcrafted shakes and burgers again!”

“Like, speaking of shakes and burgers,” Shaggy moaned. “Bein’ trapped inside that glass cage for all that time has made me, like, super hungry!” He and Scooby doubled over as if they were in pain, and began licking their lips.

Sherry tossed her head back in laughter, and she winked at us as she said, “Well, I wasn’t planning on reopening for another couple of days, but for you guys, I think I can make an exception.”

“LIKE, GROOVY!” Shaggy yelped, and Scooby jumped for joy as they began to chant for burgers. Velma, Fred and I turned to each other, the laughter bubbling from our lips.

Fred turned to me and smiled, offering me his hand. “Well, I know we’ve had a long few days, but do you think you would like to join them for shakes and burgers?”

I grinned, lacing my hand in Fred’s: I hadn’t stopped smiling since Velma wrecked the controller, and my cheeks were beginning to hurt from smiling so wide. “I would love nothing more than to eat greasy hamburgers at Sherry’s with my best friends and my new boyfriend,” I said, squeezing Fred’s hand.


	23. A Fresh Start

Shaggy and Scooby grinned as they hungrily eyed their triple scoop ice cream sundae drizzled with cherries and sprinkles. “Like, I’ve never been so happy to see the end of a mystery before, like ever!” Shaggy said, as he dug his spoon into a scoop of chocolate ice cream.

“Rah rah, ro more rombies and rall re rice cream we can eat!” Scooby agreed, as he slurped down his mountain of ice cream in two whole bites.

“Woooow Scoob, two bites! I think that’s a new record, but like, you’ve got nothin’ against The Shagster!” Shaggy smiled broadly, before dumping all three scoops of ice cream into his mouth at once and swallowing everything in one gulp. He smiled victoriously as the customers in Sherry’s Dairy and Diner exploded with clapping and laughter. Fred, Velma, and I all shook our heads with amusement at the scene these two were causing.

Suddenly, Shaggy’s eyes widened and his mouth dropped into a rounded “O” shape, and he yelled, “LIKE, ZOINKS! I JUST GOT, LIKE, THE MOTHER OF ALL BRAIN FREEZES!” He scrambled out of the cherry colored booth and began running around the diner in circles, as if that would soothe the dull throbbing in his head. Again, his actions were met with laughter and applause, as if he were an entertaining circus act.

I watched as Scooby, Velma, and Fred doubled over with laughter as they observed Shaggy, and I felt my heart tug in my chest as I wished that I could join them in this carefree moment, but for some reason, something was holding me back. I couldn’t quite place my finger on it, but ever since we had walked into Sherry’s Diner after defeating Shaina, I had gone from feeling on top of the world to feeling despondent, and even lonely. I knew that it was silly to feel this way, especially since we had just closed one of our most dangerous cases to date, but no matter how hard I tried to ignore this pang of sadness, it was still there, ebbing and flowing like the tide.

I finally decided that I needed to be alone with my thoughts. Luckily, I was seated at the end of the booth, so none of the gang noticed when I slipped away discreetly: Scooby and Shaggy were calling Sherry over to our booth so they could order another round of triple scoop sundaes, Fred was trying to talk them out of this poor decision, and Velma was dabbing the ice cream slathered all over Shaggy’s chin with a napkin, a content smile pasted on her lips. I noticed that Velma and Shaggy seemed to be getting closer and cozier more gradually over the past year, and while no one had yet to voice it, I couldn’t help but wonder if their relationship would eventually blossom into something past “just friends.”

As I stumbled out of the front door of Sherry’s Diner, walking quickly and with my head down as to avoid eye contact with the customers who had spent the past few hours thanking us profusely for saving them from Shaina this evening, my mind snagged on the phrase “just friends,” and it began to sink in that perhaps that was what had been bothering me. Sure, Fred and I had been through a lot together during this mystery, and yes, we had finally confessed our feelings for each other, but what was supposed to happen next? Do we move forward as an “official couple,” or would we find that we were better off as friends? Could I handle the answer if I asked Fred?

Once outside the diner, I walked towards the Mystery Machine, still staggering and tottering unevenly on my ankle injury. Velma had helped me wrap it in the back of the van on the way here, but I was most likely going to need crutches for at least the next few weeks. The late night was bleeding into the early morning now, and I could see hints of the dawn on the horizon as the sun was beginning to slide across the sky. The sky above was starting to look like a child’s messy watercolor painting, as the dark navy sky was spread with bursts of oranges and reds and yellows. I sighed, remembering the night the gang and I had shared a sunrise just like this one right here in this exact parking lot, and I felt myself pining for those days as if they were irretrievable, even though the gang was right inside the diner. Even though the sunrise and the signaling of a new day and a fresh start should have made me feel excited, it only sharpened the ache in my chest.

I grasped the door of the Mystery Machine and in one motion I heaved myself onto the roof of the van, wincing as my ankle burned beneath my wrap. Just as I did with my friends six months ago, I laid on my back and watched the sunrise over Coolsville, oblivious to the sound of customers drifting out of the diner as they returned to their homes, most likely so they could begin rebuilding downtown Cooslville after Shaina had destroyed it. Just like with past mysteries, this one too would take some time to clean and recover lingering wounds, both physical and emotional, but in time, I knew Coolsville would move on and recover as it always did; however, unlike Coolsville, I was starting to wonder if I would be able to fully recover after this recent mystery, too.

“There you are! I’ve been looking everywhere for you.”

I jumped at the sound of the voice coming from behind me and sat up abruptly, turning to come face-to-face with Fred, who had quietly hoisted himself on top of the Mystery Machine as I was preoccupied with watching the sunrise. For some reason, despite everything we had been through over the past few days, I felt myself blushing, unsure of what to say in response.

“Daphne, is everything okay? I noticed you slipped out of the diner a bit ago, and it seems like you’ve been quiet for the past few hours,” Fred said tentatively, as if he feared my answer.

At first, I didn’t respond: my tongue felt thick, and I wasn’t sure how to answer his question. Fred dropped down beside me, crossing his legs and gazing up at the sky as he waited patiently for me to answer. Reaching over in the hazy, early morning sunlight, he grasped my hand in his, and slowly, our fingers laced together.

I still hadn’t found a way to answer, but Fred didn’t seem to mind. Instead, he gestured towards the sky, and said, “Ya know, I can remember another early morning with a beautiful sunrise just like this one, and I watched it with the same beautiful girl I’m sitting with right now.”

I felt my cheeks burning with embarrassment and couldn’t stop the smile playing on my lips. “You – you remember saying that six months ago?” I stammered.

Fred returned my smile. “Yeah, of course! I don’t think I’ll ever forget that.”

Another few moments of silence stretched between us, and while it wasn’t necessarily uncomfortable, I could sense that we both felt tense. I shifted nervously, unsure of what to say, until Fred finally broke the quiet.

“Daph, I really am sorry I never told you about my feelings sooner,” Fred spoke quickly, as if he was going to lose his nerve if he didn’t say anything. “And I tried a few times during this mystery, but I should have manned up and said something that morning six months ago, or honestly, as soon as I knew how I felt about you. I just didn’t want to potentially lose the friendship we have, because I don’t think I can ever picture my life without you.”

Hearing Fred speak candidly loosened something inside me. I turned to him, feeling the fear and sadness balloon inside my chest, and whispered, “I think that’s what’s bothering me right now: I’m scared.”

I paused, waiting for Fred to say something: he was silent, so I continued.

“I know that I should be so relieved and beyond ecstatic right now,” I said, my voice wobbling and betraying my emotions as I spoke, “But honestly, after everything we’ve been through over the past few days, I’m scared. What happens for us next, Freddy? I know we are more or less an official couple now, but what do we do when it’s time to go away for college, or what will happen if we start dating and you realize you would rather just be friends with me? It’s funny: I can handle confronting monsters and zombies and bad guys in masks, but the idea of losing you or somehow screwing this up terrifies me more than any mystery we’ve ever solved.”

As I talked, Fred watched me closely, his eyes intense as he listened. When I finished speaking, he squeezed my hand, and his arm encircled my shoulders, pulling me against him. I leaned my head against Fred’s shoulder, keeping my eyes tilted towards the sky, which slowly had begun to look even more vibrant and colorful in the few minutes we had been talking.

“If it makes you feel any better, I’m scared, too,” Fred confessed, his voice calm and soothing. “But we can’t let the fear of what could potentially happen stop us from being in a relationship, Daph. I think we’ve been through so much together over the past years, between solving mysteries and everything in between, and every mystery and moment just intensifies this connection: I think we owe it to ourselves to see where the future takes us. I know that you mentioned you want to go away to college, and I told you that I’m not so sure where the future will take me in a year or so, and I’m still not sure where that will put me after all this ends, but all I know is that any future without you beside me is meaningless. So no matter what happens, just know that I will always be the one who’s standing by your side.”

I could feel my eyes welling up with tears, and I smiled, turning from the sunrise to look at Fred, who looked both happy and serious at the same time. “And if you think I’m going to let you walk away or that I’m going to let us step away from letting this grow because we’re too scared,” he continued, “Then you’re crazy, because I think what we have is the real deal.”

I couldn’t stop the smile that was spreading on my face, and I leaned forward, planting a soft kiss on Fred’s lips. “Thank you,” I breathed. “I just really needed to hear that.”

“Oh, and I don’t know why you are worried that I would ever want to go back to being ‘just friends,’” Fred said, smiling mischievously. “Because I like kissing you way too much to ever go back to being ‘just friends.’”

I didn’t stop the laughter that bubbled out of my throat and Fred grinned, leaning in for another kiss. I smiled beneath his lips, which felt so soft, and wrapped my arms around his neck as the kiss deepened. Fred was right: we did deserve to see where this would take us, and besides, I couldn’t imagine being with anyone else, because being with Fred felt comforting and effortless, like pulling on a pair of jeans that fit perfectly or walking into the front door of my home after a long and stressful day. He knew me better than I knew myself, and I knew that life didn’t get much better than being in love with my best friend.

“Like, oh boy! I’m happy that you guys are together now, but like, are ya gonna kiss all the time now?!”

We both sprang away from each other, turning to face Shaggy, who was pulling himself onto the roof of the Mystery Machine. Shaggy was followed by Scooby, who had leapt up effortlessly in one pounce. Once Shaggy was on top of the van safely, he leaned over the side of the van and grasped Velma’s wrist, pulling her safely so she could join us.

“Hello to you too, Shaggy,” Fred said, his cheeks burning crimson red. “And no, don’t worry guys, we won’t make you feel uncomfortable around us when we’re hanging out and solving mysteries!”

Velma beamed. “Aww, we’re just giving you a hard time, you guys! I, for one, think you are adorable, and I am so glad you are together now.”

“Thanks, Velma,” I grinned, “But the next question is, who will be the next Mystery Inc., couple? I guess time will tell!”

Velma blushed, her face beet red, and I couldn’t help but laugh: it wasn’t common that Velma was ruffled by something, so seeing her on-edge confirmed my thoughts about her and Shaggy. She shoved me lightly and playfully, her eyes darting towards Shaggy to see if he had heard what I said, but he was polishing off a box of Scooby Snacks between him and Scooby. “ _You and I can talk about that later!_ ” Velma mouthed, winking towards Shaggy as she spoke. I grinned; after all the time Velma had spent listening to me analyze every aspect of me and Freddy’s relationship, I was more than ready to return the favor.

“Well gang,” Fred announced proudly, smiling at each of us broadly. “It’s a new day! I wonder what kind of mystery awaits us next?”

“Like, hopefully somethin’ with a restaurant and some food,” Shaggy exclaimed.

“Hey, be careful what you wish for, Shaggy! You said that at the beginning of this past mystery, and that got us ice cream filled with microchips that turned people into zombies,” I pointed out.

As the five of us burst into laughter, I looked around at my friends, who were covered in cuts and bruises after everything we had been through these past few days, but who had never looked happier and lighter. When my eyes met Fred’s, he winked at me, and I smiled. As I laughed amongst my friends and my dog and my new boyfriend while we continued to watch the sunrise, in that moment, in spite of all the zombies and the destroyed buildings and the psycho ex-girlfriend and my sprained ankle, I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

**THE END**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading! Please leave a review if you feel so inclined, and be sure to look out for part two in this series, "Parallel Lives," which was also cross-posted to FF.net in 2019!


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